← Clinical Scores and Calculators
Calcium Correction
Correct total calcium for low albumin. Low albumin artificially lowers reported total calcium.
Indication
- Correct total calcium for low albumin. Low albumin artificially lowers reported total calcium.
Criteria
- id: ca; label: Total Calcium (mg/dL); type: number; placeholder: e.g. 7.8
- id: albumin; label: Serum Albumin (g/dL); type: number; placeholder: e.g. 2.0
Clinical pearls
- Ionized calcium is the physiologically active form — measure directly when available rather than correcting
- Each 1 g/dL drop in albumin below 4.0 lowers total calcium by approximately 0.8 mg/dL
- Malignancy and primary hyperparathyroidism account for ~90% of hypercalcemia cases
- The correction formula is less reliable in critically ill patients — prefer a direct ionized calcium
Source and review
- Payne RB et al. Br Med J 1973. Last reviewed: 2025-01-01