Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
9
pubmed:dateCreated
1999-1-7
pubmed:abstractText
In serum, magnesium exists in three fractions: protein-bound, complex-bound and free ionized form. Only the free ionized fraction is biologically active. Until recently, only the measurement of serum total magnesium has been in clinical use. Now, commercially available instruments using new ion-selective electrodes for Mg++ have made possible the reliable measurement of serum ionized magnesium in clinical practice. For the measurement of serum ionized magnesium we used a magnesium-selective electrode installed in a six-channel electrolyte analyzer. We compared the use of ionized versus total magnesium measurement in 52 patients with intestinal disease, 54 with liver disease, and in 75 healthy control subjects. In the patients with alcoholic liver disease both serum ionized and total magnesium were lower, and in those with inflammatory bowel disease slightly higher than in control subjects. The correlation coefficient between serum ionized and total magnesium was r=0.87 (p<0.001) in the patients, and r=0.75 (p<0.001) in the controls. In the patient group the fraction of ionized magnesium in the total was negatively related to the serum albumin level (r=-0.41, p<0.001). Serum total magnesium was below the reference range in 30 out of 150 measurements, serum ionized magnesium in only 9 out of 150 measurements, respectively. Thus, 21 cases with low total but normal ionized magnesium (two thirds of hypomagnesemia according to serum total magnesium) were false positive. Total magnesium measurement may overestimate the incidence of hypomagnesemia when significant hypoalbuminemia is present. Measurement of serum ionized magnesium instead of total magnesium may therefore be of advantage in evaluating patients with hypoalbuminemia and when hypomagnesemia is expected.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Sep
pubmed:issn
1434-6621
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
36
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
715-8
pubmed:dateRevised
2004-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1998
pubmed:articleTitle
Serum ionized versus total magnesium in patients with intestinal or liver disease.
pubmed:affiliation
Medical School, University of Tampere, Finland. llhesa@uta.fi
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article