Symptoms Of Calcium Deficiency

Symptoms of calcium deficiency are very difficult to detect because most of them take place inside your body and cause few visible results. If you have a calcium deficiency, you may be at risk for developing osteoporosis or rickets (osteomalacia). None of these are easily identified by the victim--only your physician will be able to properly diagnose these harmful conditions.

Osteomalacia, more commonly known as rickets, is not well-understood. It happens when your bones don't mineralize the way they should. It is most common in children, and the symptoms include bones that bend strangely (the bones are too soft and become flexible). The symptoms commonly exhibited are bowed legs, sunken or extended chests, and protruding foreheads.

Other Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency

Calcium osteoporosis is the ultimate outcome of a deficiency in calcium. When you have osteoporosis, your bones lose valuable mass and they are unable to support your weight during everyday tasks. This is why older women, so often victims of osteoporosis, often suffer broken bones from relatively minor falls.

Symptoms of calcium deficiency, as manifested in osteoporosis, include curved spines (giving the illusion of a hump on the back), decreased height, and bones that break easily. The lack of calcium in the spine often leaves victims unable to fully support their own height and weight and they will appear stooped and bent over. To avoid these problems later in life, it is very important to make sure you are ingesting the full recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium, which is 1500 mg per day.