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Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1976 Nov;29(11):981–983. doi: 10.1136/jcp.29.11.981

Biochemical indices of osteomalacia in pregnant Asian immigrants in Britain.

A T Howarth
PMCID: PMC476250  PMID: 1002842

Abstract

Serum calcium, phosphate and alkaline phosphatase, and urinary calcium excretion were examined during the second trimester of uncomplicated normal pregnancy in Asian immigrants to Britain and in local Caucasians. The mean serum calcium was significantly lower in Asians than in Caucasians, and the mean serum alkaline phosphatase was significantly higher in Asians. The geometric mean of the urinary calcium excretion was highly significantly lower in Asians than in Caucasians. The variances of the serum calcium, serum alkaline phosphatase, and urine calcium excretion did not differ significantly in the two populations. This indicates that there is a shift in values of immigrant Asians as a group compared with Caucasians. A comparison with figures obtained on normal nonpregnant persons of both suggests that the shift is not an inherent feature of the Asian population.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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