Magnesium deficiency. Etiology and clinical spectrum.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative clinical review without systematic search methodology or primary data
PubMed 7020347 · doi:10.1111/j.0954-6820.1981.tb02648.x
What was done
This is a narrative clinical review describing the causes, clinical presentations, and therapeutic management of magnesium deficiency. No experimental design, systematic search strategy, or primary clinical trial data are reported in the abstract.
What was found
No quantitative study results or statistical comparisons are provided in the abstract. The paper describes clinical causes of magnesium deficiency (starvation, increased requirement in pregnancy/lactation/childhood, gastrointestinal malabsorption, renal loss from diuretics, and alcoholism) and acute hypomagnesemia triggers (epinephrine, cold stress, trauma, surgery). Listed manifestations include neuromuscular hyperactivity (tremor, myoclonic jerks, convulsions, Chvostek and Trousseau signs, carpopedal spasm, ataxia, nystagmus, dysphagia), psychiatric disturbances (apathy to delirium and coma), cardiac arrhythmias (ventricular fibrillation, sudden death), and refractory hypocalcemia and hypokalemia responsive only to magnesium therapy. Recommended dosing is 1.0 mEq Mg/kg on day 1 followed by 0.3 to 0.5 mEq/kg per day for 3 to 5 days, or a 1.0 g (8.1 mEq) MgSO4 bolus for emergencies such as convulsions or ventricular arrhythmias, with dose adjustments required for renal insufficiency.
Why it matters
The review outlines the multi-system clinical spectrum of magnesium deficiency and highlights its role in secondary, treatment-resistant electrolyte imbalances, providing practical dosing guidance.
Limits
As a narrative review, it contains no primary experimental data, comparator groups, sample size, or systematic methodology. Recommendations and reported associations reflect descriptive clinical synthesis without quantitative outcome validation.
Cited by
- context Heart arrhythmia is one of the earliest symptoms of magnesium deficiency.