There are short term and long term effects of calcium deficiency. Calcium deficiency in a person can be easily detected by observing his nails and skin. Inadequate calcium levels in the body make the nails brittle and the skin dry. Yellowing of the teeth also signals calcium deficiency. Some of the first symptoms to appear from calcium deficiency are muscle cramps, eye twitching, leg tensions, weakness, muscle aches and sleep disorders. Sweating in cold weather is also a symptom of low calcium levels. If your calcium levels drop low enough, then you can also develop heart palpitations, arythmias, a heart attack, and you can even go into cardiac arrest. Long term calcium deficiency is mainly associated with skeletal abnormalities. The bones become brittle and are prone to fracture. It causes reduced bone density making them thinner and weaker. If ignored in the early stages, it can lead to several bone disorders like osteopenia, osteoporosis and osteomalacia. There are some less common symptoms of calcium deficiency like hypertension, kidney stones, unusual menstrual cramps and miscarriages.
