Calcitonin and parathyroid hormone in newborn infants with fracture of the clavicle.

Determinations of serum calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), calcitonin (CT), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were carried out in 36 full-term newborn infants with fracture of the clavicle (CF) and in 46 normal neonates (N). At the 6th hour of life the CF neonates demonstrated lower serum Ca and higher serum CT in comparison with normal infants. In the hours following, no significant differences between the two groups for the Ca levels were found, whereas serum CT remained significantly higher in the CF newborns at the 24th, 48th, and 72nd hour of life. Significant differences between normal and CF infants in the PTH serum levels were detected only at the 48th hour, when PTH was lower in the CF newborns. The results of this investigation indicate that the fracture of the clavicle is a significant and peculiar factor in stimulating CT secretion. Serum Ca level appeared to be controlled by CT rather than auto-regulating the secretion of the hormone.