Abstract

Hypermagnesemia is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is a high level of magnesium in the blood. It is defined as a level greater than 1.1 mmol/L. Symptoms include weakness, confusion, decreased breathing rate, and cardiac arrest.

Hypermagnesemia can occur in kidney failure and those who are given magnesium salts or who take drugs that contain magnesium (e.g. some antacids and laxatives). It is usually concurrent with other electrolyte disturbances such as a low blood calcium and/or high blood potassium level. Specific electrocardiogram (ECG) changes may be present.

Treatment when levels are very high include calcium chloride, intravenous normal saline with furosemide, and hemodialysis.

Hypermagnesemia occurs rarely because the kidney is very effective in excreting excess magnesium.

Signs and symptoms

Abnormal heart rhythms and asystole are possible complications of hypermagnesemia related to the heart. Magnesium acts as a physiologic calcium blocker, which results in electrical conduction abnormalities within the heart.

Clinical consequences related to serum concentration:

- 4.0 mEq/l decreased reflexes

- >5.0 mEq/l Prolonged atrioventricular conduction

- >10.0 mEq/l Complete heart block

- >13.0 mEq/l Cardiac arrest

Note that the therapeutic range for the prevention of the pre-eclampsic uterine contractions is: 4.0-7.0 mEq/L. As per Lu and Nightingale, serum Mg concentrations associated with maternal toxicity (also neonate depression - hypotonia and low Apgar scores) are:

- 7.0-10.0 mEq/L - loss of patellar reflex

- 10.0-13.0 mEq/L - respiratory depression

- 15.0-25.0 mEq/L - altered atrioventricular conduction and (further) complete heart block

- >25.0 mEq/L - cardiac arrest

Signs and symptoms | Kidney failure

Results from a longitudinal study with end-stage renal disease suggest that hypermagnesemia may retard the development of arterial calcifications in end-stage renal disease. Significantly lower values of carotid intima-media thickness and aortic pulse wave velocity values, which are surrogate markers for vascular calcification, were observed in chronic kidney disease patients with high serum magnesium levels (0.90–1.32 mmol/L or 2.18–3.21 mg/dL) indicating a lower arteriosclerotic burden associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. Consequently, people with CKD with mildly elevated magnesium levels could have a survival advantage over those with lower magnesium levels.

Causes

Magnesium status depends on three organs: uptake in the intestine, storage in the bone and excretion in the kidneys. Hypermagnesemia is therefore often due to problems in these organs, mostly intestine or kidney.

Causes | Metabolism

For a detailed description of magnesium homeostasis and metabolism see hypomagnesemia.

Diagnosis

Hypermagnesemia is diagnosed by measuring the concentration of magnesium in the blood. Concentrations of magnesium greater than 1.1 mmol/L are considered diagnostic.

Treatment

Prevention of hypermagnesemia usually is possible. In mild cases, withdrawing magnesium supplementation is often sufficient. In more severe cases the following treatments are used:

- Intravenous calcium gluconate, because the actions of magnesium in neuromuscular and cardiac function are antagonized by calcium.

Definitive treatment of hypermagnesemia requires increasing renal magnesium excretion through:

- Intravenous diuretics, in the presence of normal kidney function

- Dialysis, when kidney function is impaired and the patient is symptomatic from hypermagnesemia