The Absorption of Calcium Carbonate

doi:10.1059/0003-4819-66-5-917

The Absorption of Calcium Carbonate

PETER IVANOVICH, M.D.;
HAROLD FELLOWS, B.A.; and
CLAYTON RICH, M.D.

Requests for reprints should be addressed to Clayton Rich, M.D., Veterans Administration Hospital,
4435 Beacon Ave. South, Seattle, Wash. 98108
.

Excerpt

Although calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) is widely used in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease and is freely available on the open market, relatively little information about its absorption is available. It has often been assumed that, because CaCO₃ is insoluble in water, calcium given in this form is not appreciably absorbed. However, significant hypercalcemia and alkalosis are observed occasionally among persons treated with CaCO₃ (1,2), and in a controlled study, hypercalcemia was found to be a frequent complication of this form of treatment (3). Furthermore, some patients treated with milk and alkali develop irreversible renal damage and calcifications of the

Summario in Interlingua

Le absorption de carbonato de calcium (CaCO₃) esseva evalutate in subjectos normal, in patientes con morbo peptico-ulcerose, e in patientes con evidentia del antecedente de un syndrome de alkali de lacte. Quando un dose unic de 1 a 12 g de CaCO₃ esseva administrate a normal subjectos in stato jejun, un elevation transiente del concentration sanguinee de calcium—usque a valores bassemente hypercalciemic—esseva observate. Altere patientes recipeva 2 g de CaCO₃ marcate con Ca⁴⁵ pro permitter un mesuration directe del procentage absorbite del dose total. Cinque subjectos con normal metabolismo de calcium e function gastrointestinal e 5 patientes con le diagnose clinic de subacute syndrome de alkali de lacte absorbeva CaCO₃ equalmente ben. Le absorption medie pro le gruppo esseva 16,6 ± 8,5 pro cento. Isto esseva solo levemente minus que le procentage del absorption de un dose comparabile de calcium administrate in le forma de gluconato de calcium. Le sol subjectos qui non absorbeva CaCO₃ esseva patientes in qui il esseva constatate que illes non secerneva acido libere in lor succos gastric.

Article and Author Information

From the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Radioisotope Service, Veterans Administration Hospital, Seattle, Wash.
This study was supported in part by grants AM 09096 and AM 04701, U. S. Public Health Service, Washington, D. C.
- Received November 14, 1966.
- Accepted January 4, 1967.