A calcium model with random absorption: a stochastic approach

Abstract

Absorption of calcium, or any mineral, by the body is subject to the random fluctuations typical of diffusion through membranes. In this paper we consider the absorption of calcium from the gut as a white noise process added to the deterministic model of Sen & Mohr (1990, J. theor. Biol. 142, 179-188). The first two moments for the amount of calcium in the extracellular fluid (ECF) have been derived using the Ito Calculus. A confidence interval for the total amount of calcium in the ECF is constructed. The equations for the first two moments of the fraction of dose calcium in the ECF are also given. Suggestions are made for the collection of experimental data in a form which should be helpful in investigating the magnitude of the stochastic effect.