Milk-and-alkali tetany
Encyclopedia
Milk-and-alkali tetany is a form of tetany
cramps of the wrists and hands (carpal spasm) or legs (pedal
spasm) caused by an electrolyte
imbalance.
Sufferers from peptic ulcer
s often take an alkali such as bicarbonate of soda to relieve the symptoms, and wash it down with milk
. This causes the calcium
of the milk to precipitate out, whilst the phosphate
is digested.
Treatment consists simply of discontinuing the habit.
Tetany (medical sign)
Tetany is a medical sign consisting of the involuntary contraction of muscles, which may be caused by disease or other conditions that increase the action potential frequency...
cramps of the wrists and hands (carpal spasm) or legs (pedal
Pedal
The word pedal comes from the Latin and relates to the foot.A pedal is a lever activated by one's foot. The term "foot pedal" is redundant, and should be avoided...
spasm) caused by an electrolyte
Electrolyte
In chemistry, an electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that make the substance electrically conductive. The most typical electrolyte is an ionic solution, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....
imbalance.
Sufferers from peptic ulcer
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
s often take an alkali such as bicarbonate of soda to relieve the symptoms, and wash it down with milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
. This causes the calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
of the milk to precipitate out, whilst the phosphate
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...
is digested.
Treatment consists simply of discontinuing the habit.