Calcium is one of the most common minerals in the body. All cells in the body use calcium to perform various functions. The body uses calcium to build and repair bones and teeth. Calcium also helps the nerves, heart, and muscles function properly, and helps the blood to clot. A calcium test in urine is done to measure the amount of calcium. That excreted from the body through the urine is also known as a test Ca + 2 Polycarbonate, according to the site’s report healthline.
When the calcium levels in the blood drop too low, the bones excrete enough Calcium To restore the level in the blood to normal when calcium levels are too high, excess calcium is stored in the bones or expelled from the body through urine or faeces..
The amount of calcium in the body depends on the following factors:
The amount of calcium taken from food, the amount of calcium and vitamin D absorbed through the intestine, the level of phosphate in the body, levels of certain hormones such as estrogen, calcitonin and parathyroid hormone.
Often times, people with high or low calcium levels have no symptoms, especially if calcium levels change slowly.The calcium levels must be too high, too low, or change quickly until symptoms appear..
Reasons for a urine calcium test include:
Evaluate whether high levels of calcium in the urine have led to kidney stones.
Evaluate whether your dietary calcium intake is high enough.
Evaluate how well your intestine absorbs calcium.
Screening for conditions that lead to calcium being lost from your bones.
Evaluate how well your kidneys are working.
Look for parathyroid gland problems.
The calcium blood test is usually more accurate in detecting certain conditions, such as specific bone disease, pancreatitis, and hyperparathyroidism..
How to prepare for a urine calcium test?
In preparation for the urine calcium test, your doctor may ask you to stop taking medications that may affect the test results. Additionally, your doctor may ask you to follow a diet with a certain level of calcium for several days before the test..
How is urine calcium tested?
The urine calcium test measures the amount of calcium in a sample taken from all of the urine that is produced in a 24-hour period. The test lasts from one morning to the next morning.
These steps are usually followed to test your urine:
On the first day you urinate after waking up and do not spare urine.
For the next 24 hours, you collect all of your subsequent urine into a container.
You then seal the container and keep it in the refrigerator during the 24-hour collection period. Make sure you put your name on the container along with the date and time the test was finished..
On the second day, you pee in the container after getting up.
What do the test results mean?
Natural results
The amount of calcium in the urine of a person on a normal diet ranges from 100 to 300 mg per day (mg / day) A low-calcium diet produces 50 to 150 mg / day of calcium in the urine.
Abnormal results
If urine calcium levels are abnormally high, it may be a sign of urine:
Hyperparathyroidism: A condition in which the parathyroid gland produces too much parathyroid hormone, which may also cause fatigue, back pain and osteoarthritis
Milk-alkali syndrome: a condition that results from consuming too much calcium and usually appears in older women who take calcium to prevent osteoporosis
Idiopathic hypercalciuria: too much calcium in the urine for no reason
Sarcoidosis: A disease in which there is inflammation in the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, eyes, skin, or other tissues.
Renal tubular acidosis: High levels of acidity in the blood because the kidneys do not make urine acidic enough.
Vitamin D poisoning: Too much vitamin D in your body.
Use of loop diuretics: A type of water pill that works on one part of the kidneys to increase water loss by the kidneys.
If urine calcium levels are abnormally low, it may be a sign of:
Malabsorption disorders: such as vomiting or diarrhea, due to not properly digesting nutrients
– Vitamin D deficiency
Hypoparathyroidism: A disease in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough of a certain hormone to maintain adequate calcium and phosphorous levels.
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