Retention of Oral ⁴⁷Ca in Patients with Intestinal Malabsorption: Regional Enteritis and Pancreatic Insufficiency

Abstract

Sjöberg, H. E. & Nilsson, L. H. 1970. Retention of Oral ⁴⁷Ca in Patients with Intestinal Malabsorption: Regional Enteritis and Pancreatic Insufficiency. Scand. J. Gastroent. 5, 265-272.

The retention of a single oral dose of ⁴⁷Ca was measured in a whole body counter 2 weeks after being administered to 11 patients with regional enteritis and 12 with pancreatic insufficiency. Two μC of ⁴⁷Ca were given to the fasting patients together with 135 mg of calcium as CaCl₂ in water. In all but one of the regional enteritis patients resections of parts of the small intestine had been performed. Three patients with pancreatic insufficiency had undergone operation with exclusion or resection of the upper small intestine. The mean retention of ⁴⁷Ca was significantly lowered in the group of patients with regional enteritis; 8 retained less than the -2 σ limit for the control group. We have not found any significant decrease of the retention of an oral dose of ⁴⁷Ca given fasting patients with severely impaired pancreatic function.

Key-words:

• ⁴⁷Ca retention
• calcium malabsorption
• osteopenia
• pancreatic insufficiency
• regional enteritis
• whole body counter