Abstract:

Background: Hypocalcemia is when a total serum calcium concentration is less than 8.8mg/dl or an ionized calcium level is less than 4.7 mg/dl
with normal plasma protein. Hypocalcemia in pregnancy is a major health issue particularly in developing countries where daily calcium intakes
are suboptimal, and there is paucity of data in reporting this condition.

Case presentation: A case of 21 years old woman gravida 3 para2, who presented to us with general body weakness and spasticity, stiffness and pain on hands and lower limbs for three weeks. She was amenorrhea of 32 weeks and 2 days. She has history of confining herself indoor for one year, history of poor feeding habits since she became pregnant. Upon evaluation, a diagnosis of hypocalcemia was reached. She was treated with intravenous calcium gluconate, calcitriol and magnesium sulfate during the acute phase, then oral calcivit tablet. She improved drastically, and she was later discharged with instruction of attending antenatal clinic at our hospital, but She didn’t turn up for follow up antenatal care after discharged, instead she was taken by her mother, who took care until she gave birth at Mara Hospital a healthy baby 3.4kg. and there were no complications.

Conclusion: Hypocalcemia is under reported and presentation of hypocalcemia may be confused with other cause of tetanic muscle cramps
such as eclampsia, epilepsy, and tetanus. This is contributed by low or poor diet and increased demand during pregnancy as gestation advances. It is important to emphasize the need for balanced diet during pregnancy and supply of micronutrients. This remains vital to the metabolic needs of the woman and her baby during antenatal period.