Magnesium deficiency is an ubiquitous phenomenon in the human pathology - from the most developed to the third world countries, which may occur at all ages, more marked during growth, pregnancy and breast feeding. Magnesium deficiency may occur in man as a result of prolonged episodes of vomiting or malabsorption as in severe diarrhea.
Gastric juice contains a fair amount of magnesium and excessive vomiting could result in substantial losses of the mineral in addition to the loss resulting from the failure to retain ingested food.
Certain drugs – ammonium chloride and mercurial diuretics – result in loss of magnesium through the urine. Soft drinks and other popular beverages contain large amounts of phosphates, which interfere with magnesium absorption.
Magnesium deficiency has been reported in children with protein-calorie malnutrition due to primarily to diarrhea which increases fecal loss of the mineral. Recovery was more prompt when diets were supplements with magnesium.
Hypomagnesaemia is associated with chronic alcoholism and with the neuromuscular symptoms of alcoholic withdrawal. The most common symptoms and findings in hypomagnesaemia are neurological or psychiatric.
When pancreatitis is also present, magnesium replacement therapy becomes an important part of treatment because magnesium (and calcium) in blood may be decreased due to presumably to deposition in areas of adipose tissue.
Magnesium Deficiency
