Hypomagnesemia (patient information)

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Hypomagnesemia
Overview
What are the symptoms?
What are the causes?
Diagnosis
When to seek urgent medical care?
Treatment options
Where to find medical care for Hypomagnesemia?
Prevention
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Possible complications
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Charmaine Patel, M.D. [2]

Overview

Hypomagnesemia means low levels of magnesium in the blood.

What are the symptoms of Hypomagnesemia?

Common symptoms include:

• Abnormal eye movements (nystagmus)
• Convulsions
• Fatigue
• Muscle spasms or cramps
• Muscle weakness
• Numbness

What causes Hypomagnesemia?

Several conditions can cause hypomagnesemia, including:

• Alcoholism
• Chronic diarrhea
• High blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia)
• Hyperaldosteronism
• Malabsorption syndromes, such as celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease
• Malnutrition
• Medications including amphotericin, cisplatin, cyclosporine, diuretics, and aminoglycoside antibiotics
• Excessive urination (polyuria), such as in uncontrolled diabetes and during recovery from acute kidney failure

Sweating

Diagnosis

Your health care provider will do a complete physical examination to help determine the cause of your symptoms.

Signs include:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG) changes
• Low blood calcium level (hypocalcemia)
• Low blood potassium level (hypokalemia)

Blood and urine tests will be done. Other tests that can confirm hypomagnesemia include:

Comprehensive metabolic panel

• Magnesium blood test
• Urine magnesium test

Treatment options

The cause of hypomagnesemia must be diagnosed and treated. Treatment depends on the type of hypomagnesemia, but may include:

• Fluids given through a vein (IV)
• Magnesium by mouth or through a vein
• Medication to relieve symptoms

Where to find medical care for Hypomagnesemia?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Condition

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

The outcome depends on the condition that is causing the problem.

Possible complications

• Cardiac arrest
• Death
• Respiratory arrest