Magnesium Status in Chronic Uraemic Patients

Abstract

Magnesium level in bone, skeletal muscle, the erythrocyte, serum and serum ultrafiltrate were estimated in ten patients with advanced uraemia. Eight patients were found to have significantly low skeletal muscle magnesium, indicating significant deficit of the cation. However, there was no correlation between skeletal muscle magnesium and magnesium levels of the other tissues. Bone magnesium was normal in all patients as was erythrocyte magnesium. Serum magnesium level was variable, but 6 of the 8 patients with low skeletal muscle magnesium had normal magnesium level in their serum ultrafiltrate. Although clinical features that might be attributed to magnesium deficiency were frequently seen in the uraemic patients, there is no discernible difference in clinical pattern between patients with or without magnesium deficiency as shown by skeletal muscle magnesium estimation.

Bone Crystal Maturation in Renal Osteodystrophy in Humans

“…In studies of human necropsy material, decreased bone carbonate (19), Ca/P ratio (19,20), and decreased bone density (19) have been reported. Since the advent of atomic absorption, increased Mg has been reported in necropsy material (21,22), but contrary to our findings, normal Mg has been reported in biopsy material (23).…”

Magnesium and Bone Disease

“…Contiguglia et al [50] also found a 66% increase in bone magnesium in patients with chronic renal failure. An increase in bone magnesium in uremia was also noted by Berlyne et al [51], but not by Lim and Jacob [52]. The latter study is the only one documenting normal bone magnesium; this study, it should be pointed out, was carried out in the Far East.…”

“…In patients with chronic renal failure (and also in normal subjects), tra becular bone magnesium content was significantly grea ter than cortical magnesium content. However, some studies have found no difference in magnesium content compared to normal values [61][62][63]. Patients with uremia of more than 1 year duration and dialysis patient have been reported to have significantly elevated bone magne sium [62], In such patients, magnesium content correlated with osteoid area, and changes in magnesium were di rectly proportional to changes in H P 04 and inversely related to excess calcium in bone powder.…”

“…Since lactation is a major physiologic stress impacting on bone, lactation may in some instances con stitute a major route for magnesium loss from bone [5]. Normal trabecular bone magnesium content has been reported for patients with liver cirrhosis [102,103]; ele vated cortical iliac crest content has been reported in these patients [103].…”

Combined Effect of Low Magnesium and High Sucrose Diet on Magnesium Status and Nitric Oxide Production in Rats

“…Liver magnesium was significantly reduced after 62 days of feeding magnesium deficient diet to rats [20]. Lim and Jacobs [21][22][23] have suggested that muscle magnesium is the most freely exchangeable and thus the first to fall during magnesium depletion. An increase in the magnesium content of kidney in magnesium deficient animals may be due to the increased reabsorption of magnesium by the loop of Henle during magnesium deficiency as it is the major site of magnesium re-absorption in the renal tubule and principal locus of renal control of magnesium excretion [24].…”