Magnesium deficiency or hypomagnesia (not to be confused with hypomagnesemia) refers to inadequate dietary magnesium intake or magnesium absorption disorder, which can cause many symptoms and diseases. Usually corrected by increased magnesium in the diet, oral supplements, and in severe cases, intravenous supplementation.
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Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include hyperexcitability, muscle symptoms (cramps, tremors, fasciculations, seizures, tetany, weakness), fatigue, loss of appetite, apathy, confusion, sensitivity to sound and light, anxiety, insomnia, irritability, poor memory, reduced to learn. Moderate to severe magnesium deficiency may cause tingling or numbness, heart changes, rapid heartbeat, advanced muscle contractions, nausea, vomiting, migraine, personality changes, delirium, hallucinations, low calcium levels, low potassium serum levels, sodium retention, circulating levels low parathyroid hormone (PTH), and potentially death from heart failure. Magnesium plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism and its deficiency can exacerbate insulin resistance, a condition that often precedes diabetes, or may be a consequence of insulin resistance.
Maps Magnesium deficiency (medicine)
Cause
Causes of magnesium deficiency include diet, alcohol abuse, chronic stress, uncontrolled diabetes, excessive or chronic vomiting and/or diarrhea. Phytate or oxalate in the diet may bind magnesium, causing it to be removed rather than absorbed in the colon. Certain drugs may consume magnesium levels such as osmotic diuretics, cisplatin, ciclosporin, amphetamines, and possibly proton pump inhibitors. Deficiency can also occur in Bartter syndrome and Gitelman syndrome.
Pathophysiology
Magnesium is a co-factor in over 300 functions in the body that regulate different types of biochemical reactions. It is involved in protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, bone development, energy production, maintenance of normal heart rhythms, and regulation of glucose and blood pressure, among other important roles. Low magnesium intake over time can increase the risk of disease, including high blood pressure and heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, and migraine.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of severe hypomagnesemia can be done through standard serum magnesium tests.
The accuracy of serum magnesium blood tests as an indicator of overall magnesium adequacy is debatable because of the claim that the percentage of total magnesium stored freely in the blood is less than 1%.
Treatment
Magnesium deficiency can often be effectively treated with oral magnesium preparations. It can also be treated by using a nebulizer filled with magnesium sulfate or magnesium chloride dissolved in water. Nebulising has an effective advantage within minutes, reducing muscle pain, tension or difficulty in breathing. Nebulizer can be purchased without a prescription in the UK, as well as magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride. For those who need frequent doses, battery-operated portable nebulizers are useful though more expensive and tend to be damaged than old-style plugs on nebulizers.
Severe hypomagnesemia is often treated medically with intravenous or intramuscular magnesium sulfate solution, which is completely bioavailable, and effective.
Magnesium food sources
Magnesium food sources include green vegetables, soybeans, nuts, and fruit.
Epidemiology
57% of the US population does not meet the US RDA for magnesium dietary intake. The kidneys are very efficient at maintaining the body level, except in cases where the diet is deficient due to the use of certain drugs such as proton pump inhibitors or chronic alcoholism.
History
Magnesium deficiency in humans was first described in the medical literature in 1934.
Terminology
"Magnesium deficiency" (or "thinning") should be distinguished from hypomagnesemia. Magnesium deficiency covers a wider range, and includes impaired magnesium metabolism and low intracellular storage. Hipomagnesemia refers only to low serum (blood) levels. Therefore, magnesium deficiency may be present without hypomagnesemia, and hypomagnesemia may be present without magnesium deficiency. As a metabolic disorder, magnesium deficiency can be more difficult to treat than hypomagnesemia.
See also
- Magnesium in biology
- Hypomagnesemia
- Hypermagnesemia
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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