What it means
Painful, uncontrolled tightening of muscles, often in the hands, feet and face, with tingling around the mouth and in the fingers. It is most often caused by a low blood calciumKAL-see-umA mineral that builds bones and teeth and that nerves, muscles, the heart and blood clotting need to work.Full entry level, and also by low magnesium or by breathing too fast (alkalosis). Severe tetany can cause spasm of the voice box (laryngospasm) and seizures. It is a different thing from tetanusTET-uh-nusA serious illness caused by a nerve toxin made by the bacterium Clostridium tetani.Full entry , an infection.
For the nurse
After thyroid or parathyroid surgery, watch for tetany. Two bedside checks for low calcium are Trousseau sign (the hand spasms when a blood pressure cuff is inflated on the arm) and Chvostek sign (the face twitches when the cheek is tapped). Report it at once.
At a glance
| Spanish | tetania |
|---|---|
| Also written | tetanic |
Easy to confuse with
tetanus
A serious illness caused by a nerve toxin made by the bacterium Clostridium tetani.
Related terms
calcium
A mineral that builds bones and teeth and that nerves, muscles, the heart and blood clotting need to work.
seizure
A sudden burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that changes movement, feeling, behavior or awareness.
parathyroid gland
One of four small glands behind the thyroid that control the amount of calcium in the blood.
tetanus
A serious illness caused by a nerve toxin made by the bacterium Clostridium tetani.