Calcium levels in normal and hypertensive pregnant patients.

Epidemiologic studies of hypertension in nonpregnant patients have suggested that abnormal calcium metabolism contributes to the genesis of hypertension. We have studied serum ionized calcium, total calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, total protein, and albumin in 16 normal pregnant women, 12 gravid patients with chronic hypertension, and 31 gravid patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension. In contradistinction to the reported difference in ionized calcium between nonpregnant normal and hypertensive patients, we have found no difference in serum ionized calcium between our groups.