A Clinical Study on Hypocalcemia in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Objective To study the relationship between the level of serum calcium and hepatic function in patients with liver cirrhosis.Methods 235 cases with liver cirrhosis were graded as A,B and C according to Child-Pugh standard.41 normal cases were served as control group.Early morning before breakfast,venous blood samples were collected from both groups to measure the level of serum calcium.Results This study showed that the level of serum calcium in patients with liver cirrhosis was lower than that in the control group.The level of serum calcium was related to the impaired hepatic function,and also to the complication of liver cirrhosis.The level of serum calcium was not related to the cause of the disease.Conclusion The incidence of hypocalcemia in patients with liver cirrhosis was higher than that in normal control.Hypocalcemia caused by liver cirrhosis correlated with impaired hepatic function.Hypocalcemia was positively related to the impaired hepatic function and the development of complication.The level of serum calcium can be considered as a marker of impaired hepatic function in patients with liver cirrhosis.