Hypocalcemia can be a contributory factor for epilepsy and previous studies showed that ethanol decreases plasma calcium. PURPOSE: To establish the prevalence of hypocalcemia in the general convulsive population and to ascertain if there was a specific group of risk for hypocalcemia. METHODS: A prospective study of plasma ionized calcium measurement in 78 consecutive patients admitted owing to seizures at the Emergency Department of Escola Paulista de Medicina was performed. 22% of these patients were alcoholics. The plasma ionized calcium in 44 ambulatory non-convulsive alcoholics was also measured. RESULTS: A high prevalence of hypocalcemia was found in the alcoholic convulsive population (32%), in contrast with the non-alcoholic convulsive group and the alcoholic non-convulsive group (no calcium disturbance in both groups). The alcoholic convulsive group had values of ionized calcium statistically lower than the non-alcoholic convulsive group using the Mann-Whitney test (p<0.05) [median value= 1.20mmol/L; range= 1.04 - 1.32mmol/L/ median value= 1.24mmol/L; range= 1.16-1.29mmol/L respectively]. The alcoholic non-convulsive group had values of ionized calcium between 1.17 and 1.32mmol/L with median value of 1.26 mmol/L; these values were not different from those obtained with the non-alcoholic convulsive patients, however they were higher than the calcium levels in the alcoholic convulsive group (p<0.05). PTH levels, liver function tests, phosphatemia and amylasemia were normal in all patients. CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the importance of serum calcium measurement in alcoholic patients presenting seizures and suggests that hypocalcemia correction might be important in these patients.
Hypocalcemia; Alcoholism; Epilepsy
