Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Practice Exam

Neonatal hypocalcemia is most commonly associated with which condition?

1. Perinatal asphyxia

2. Placental insufficiency

3. Postmaturity

4. Maternal diabetes

The correct answer is: Perinatal asphyxia

Neonatal hypocalcemia is most commonly associated with perinatal asphyxia due to the metabolic stress that can occur during the asphyxic event. When a neonate experiences asphyxia, it can lead to a variety of physiological adaptations and disruptions, including impaired parathyroid hormone secretion and altered calcium metabolism. This can result in decreased serum calcium levels shortly after birth. On the other hand, although conditions such as placental insufficiency, postmaturity, and maternal diabetes can also affect a newborn’s metabolic status, they are not as directly correlated with the specific development of hypocalcemia as perinatal asphyxia. Each of these conditions has its own potential complications, but perinatal asphyxia represents a more direct pathway to the physiological changes associated with neonatal hypocalcemia.