Calcium in plasma, serum (Ca2+)

The concentration of calcium in plasma/serum is regularly analysed on suspicions of imbalances in the calcium metabolism (Such as Calcium transports in the kidneys). The anaylsis is requisitioned based on a wide range of indications, such as diseases in the skeleton, vitamin D deficiency, kidney failure, kidney stone, diseases in the parathyroid gland, pancreatitis, sarcoidosis, cancers, unspecific abdomen symptoms, mental disorders, and headache.

Calcium in plasma/serum2,15 – 2,51 mmol/L

The element calcium is found in the body as divalent cations (Ca2+). Almost all of the calcium (25-35 mol or 1000-1400 g in total) is found in the bones. About 50 % of calcium in plasma is unbound and biologically active, 40 % is bound to albumin, while 10 % is bound to anions such as bicarbonate, citrate, phosphate, and lactate. Changes in the concentration of albumin or acid-base imbalances will result in unreliable measurements of unbound calcium.

Read more about calcium in The handbook on medical biochemistryy.