The Change of Serum Calcium Level during Last Decade in Kangwondo, Korea

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Nowadays, drinks, foods and snacks have frequently been intensified with calcium and the insights into the importance of calcium-intake in general has developed in Korea. In this decade, we found the numbers of children who was visited to our hospital for evaluation of hematuria defined with hypercalciuria were increased. So we tried to compare the mean levels of serum calcium, alkaline phosphate, sodium, potassium, chloride, BUN, creatinine, bicarbonate and urinary pH who visited our hospital in 1991, 1992 with in 2000, 2001. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1991 to December 1992, and between January 2000 to December 2001, each 366 children and 488 children, aged 1 month to 15 years, who presented in our hospital for tonsilectomy and adenoidectomy or for inguinal herniorrhaphy were enrolled in the study. The children in the study were checked the level of serum calcium, alkaline phosphate, sodium, potassium, chloride, BUN, creatinine, bicarbonate and urinary pH with the machine which was corrected the similar levels of practical chemical levels in serum. We compared each mean levels in 1991s' group with in 2001s' group totally and separately through the age and sex. We used t-test to analysis data. RESULTS: The levels of serum calcium, alkaline phosphate, creatinine, sodium, potassium, and urinary pH of 2001s' group were significantly higher than the levels of 1991s' group(P<0.05). The each level was 9.91+/-0.50 mg/dL, 248.58+/-94.98 U/L, 0.61+/-0.14 mg/dL, 138.64+/-2.22 mM/L, 4.35+/-0.40 mM/L, 6.18+/-0.86 in 2001s' and 9.13+/-0.68 mg/dL, 198.26+/-79.34 U/L, 0.433+/-0.18 mg/dL, 137.86+/-2.67 mM/L, 4.22+/-0.36 mM/L, 5.83+/-0.95 in 1991s'. And the levels of serum bicarbonate, 23.64+/-2.57 mM/L in 2001s' was significantly lower than the 1991s', 24.60+/-2.23 mM/L (P<0.05). The similar results were detected each age and sex group. CONCLUSION: The levels of serum calcium increase in this decade. The results will be used as a basic data for the national health plan in the years to come.