Talk:Hypomagnesemia

The

The statement "About 2400 mg of magnesium passes through the kidneys" looks good to my limited knowledge, but requires a frequency (per day?) very best regards, sgsmith, new orleans 10-17-2007 72.204.154.35 15:46, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

nice work! Erich 12:38, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

Definition of hypomagnesemia

I changed the definition of hypomagnesemia back again to low blood levels rather than total body magnesium. The word hypomagnesemia literally means low blood levels of magnesium. This can be indicative of total body magnesium depletion, but that doesn't change the definition. At least three medical dictionaries I consulted seem to agree on this definition. Also, most symptoms (neuromuscular and cardiovascular) are caused by a decreased level of magnesium in the blood, not a decreased amount of magnesium in the whole body. --WS 13:39, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

Technically you are correct, the word refers to bloodlevels. Yet practically magnesium bloodlevels are not related to symptoms (neurological effects are not the primary symptoms), nor even a lack of magnesium (deficiency). Please read the article as to why. Since hypomagnesemia is usually symptomatic as result of total body levels, I would prefer that to be included in the definition.--Nomen Nescio 15:13, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

Even if the symptoms are not directly related, that doesn't change the definition. Of course things can be explained later on, but you can't just change the definition of a word because you don't like it. (If you really want another definition, start the article total body magnesium depletion or something similar) --WS 15:37, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

Or probably better: Magnesium deficiency (medicine) (ICD10 code: E61.2). --WS 16:21, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

I agree with WS, and I've created a stub article at the subject he's suggested. But I do think that in the articles we should acknowledge that in many contexts the terms are used interchangably, even if there is a subtle distinction between them. --Arcadian 18:10, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

I agree we should adhere to the literal meaning. However, in the new stub it is suggested hypomagnesemia is lack of magnesium. My point is just that this is wrong. Hypomagnesemia can be present without magnesium deficiency and vice versa. Therefore they are not the same. Hypomagnesemia has no clinical significance, for practical reasons we use bloodlevels, but this is inherently subject to incorrect interpretation (see article). This should also be reflected by the new article. --Nomen Nescio 19:10, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

Would you mind fleshing Magnesium deficiency (medicine) out a bit to reflect that? --Arcadian 19:34, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

Need Clarification on the Effect of Hypomagnesemia on PTH

The article states, "Lack of magnesium inhibits the release of parathyroid hormone, which can result in hypoparathyroidism and hypocalcemia. Furthermore, IT makes skeletal and muscle receptors less sensitive to parathyroid hormone." [allcaps added for emphasis]

Questions:

1. Does "it" mean "magnesium" or "lack of magnesium?"

2. If "it" means "magnesium," then this implies opposing effects of low magnesium. What is the net effect: increased PTH activity (reduced PTH level, but an outweighing increase in PTH sensitivity) or reduced PTH activity (an increase in PTH sensitivity, but an outweighing reduction PTH level)?

An answer to these questions that includes reference to an online medical research or review article would be appreciated.

Leeirons (talk) 18:13, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

Some questions about when your heart "skips a beat"

Following a few instances of "skipped heartbeats" in a brief period 20 years ago (after receiving no diagnosis of trouble nor suggestion for improvement from a physician) I hit upon the remedy of taking magnesium from a Usenet enthusiast, which I've done in the form of Epsom salt in well under the recommended laxative dose - at first after skipped beats, but eventually in response to the sensation of weariness in the heart or other muscles to prevent the skipped beats from happening. Mind, I never had the problem much and have gone a long time without having one at all now, but since the body's response to one is a massive injection of adrenaline they tend to stand out. I haven't found much documentation for or against a few things I've noticed.

• Does ham or other processed meat reduce serum magnesium? I eventually tracked down that the "skipped beats" seemed to follow consuming large amounts of preserved meat almost exclusively, but not other salty food. It's gotten to the point that if I dig deep into a holiday ham I take the Epsom salt as an "antidote" right afterward. On the other hand, healthy eating with lots of fruits and vegetables seems to prevent the need for this.

• Can serum magnesium be determined by taste? I haven't been doing lab tests, but I've noticed that sometimes when I think I'm in need of it, Epsom salt can taste literally as sweet as sugar, while at other times it can be intensely bitter.

• Do skipped heartbeats reflect fatigue? As mentioned above, I feel as if that is the case - that the heart can "stumble" like a tired runner to cause a missed beat.

• What does a normal missed beat look like on an EKG? Is it like one lone torsades de pointes in the middle of a normal pattern, or a flat line, or a single peak with reduced intensity?

• An underlying reason for my interest is that I tend to think that cardiovascular disease, being very common in the population, should not come unannounced - that rare and "normal" abnormalities like a skipped beat could be harbingers of future problems. Is there any sense to that way of thinking? 70.15.116.59 (talk) 21:27, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

diuretics

it should probably be clarified that hypomagnesemia from diuretic use is from loop diuretics. magnesium is not resorbed in the collecting tubule, for instance, so K-sparing diuretics should not cause hypomagnesemia... 71.234.109.192 (talk) 00:55, 13 January 2008 (UTC)

correction

"Hypomagnesemia results in increased efflux of intracellular Mg" should be changed as "Hypomagnesemia results in increased efflux of intracellular K"