What is the most common cause of hypomagnesemia?

Hypomagnesemia usually happens due to one of the following:
Too little intake of magnesium into your body. Excessive loss of magnesium through your kidneys (pee) or your gastrointestinal tract (stool).


What diseases cause low magnesium?

Magnesium deficiency in healthy people is rare but it can be caused by:
  • a poor diet (especially in elderly people or those who don't have enough to eat)
  • type 2 diabetes.
  • digestive problems such as Crohn's disease.
  • long-term vomiting or diarrhoea.
  • kidney problems.
  • long-term use of diuretics.


What happens when you have hypomagnesemia?

Symptoms include anorexia, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, weakness, personality change, tetany (eg, positive Trousseau or Chvostek sign, spontaneous carpopedal spasm, hyperreflexia), tremor, and muscle fasciculations.


What causes a sudden drop in magnesium?

Health conditions such as diabetes, poor absorption, chronic diarrhea, and celiac disease are associated with magnesium loss. People with alcohol use disorder are also at an increased risk of deficiency ( 2 ).

What are risk factors of hypomagnesemia?

Risk factors for hypomagnesemia
  • You have diabetes.
  • You're an alcoholic.
  • You're breastfeeding.
  • You're older; magnesium becomes more difficult to absorb as you age.
  • You're malnourished through diseases like an eating disorder or another condition that affects your digestion or brings about diarrhea or vomiting.


Low magnesium (Hypomagnesemia) | Causes, Symptoms, Treatment | & Role of Magnesium, Dietary Sources



What are three symptoms of hypomagnesemia?

What are the symptoms of hypomagnesemia?
  • Tremors.
  • Tetany (muscle spasms, muscle cramps and/or numbness in your hands and feet).
  • Abnormal eye movements (nystagmus).
  • Fatigue and weakness.


Why is my body not absorbing magnesium?

You might have trouble absorbing magnesium from food if you drink too much alcohol, have kidney problems, take certain medicines, or have celiac disease or long-lasting digestive problems. If you are low on magnesium for a long time and it becomes magnesium deficiency, which is rare, you may have: Poor appetite.

What blocks magnesium absorption?

Foods that hinder magnesium absorption include: Non-fermentable or insoluble fiber, such as whole grain, bran and seeds. Foods high in phytates, such as whole flours and grains, bran, the hulls of seeds and nuts, and un-sprouted beans and soy.


What does low magnesium feel like?

Some of the first signs of magnesium deficiency can be: Fatigue. Loss of appetite. Muscle spasms.

When is low magnesium an emergency?

Extreme or severe magnesium deficiency is a medical emergency and can cause life-threatening heart rhythms, called arrhythmias. Seek emergency care (call 911) if you or someone you are with experiences rapid or irregular heart rate, difficulty breathing, or sudden muscle weakness.

Can hypomagnesemia be fatal?

Hypomagnesemia can potentially cause fatal complications including ventricular arrhythmia, coronary artery spasm, and sudden death. It also associates with increased mortality and prolonged hospitalization [6, 7].


What happens to the heart when magnesium is low?

As noted previously, magnesium deficiency reduces cardiac Na-K-ATPase, leading to higher levels of sodium and calcium and lower levels of magnesium and potassium in the heart. This increases vasoconstriction in the coronary arteries, which can induce coronary artery spasms, myocardial infarction and arrhythmias.

Can you recover from low magnesium?

If there is any underlying gut bacteria imbalance or other nutrient deficiencies and these are fixed, magnesium levels should start to improve within 2-4 weeks. However, everyone is different and deficiencies can take a few months for certain individuals.

How do you fix low magnesium?

People wanting to increase their magnesium levels by improving absorption could try:
  1. reducing or avoiding calcium-rich foods two hours before or after eating magnesium-rich foods.
  2. avoiding high-dose zinc supplements.
  3. treating vitamin D deficiency.
  4. eating raw vegetables instead of cooking them.
  5. quitting smoking.


Does vitamin D deplete magnesium?

Mg is essential in the metabolism of vitamin D, and taking large doses of vitamin D can induce severe depletion of Mg. Adequate magnesium supplementation should be considered as an important aspect of vitamin D therapy.

Can low magnesium make you feel weird?

Low magnesium levels can also lead to changes in your mood and personality and increase your risk of depression. Some signs might include mental numbness, a lack of feeling emotions, and increased feelings of anxiety, says Shapiro.

How can I raise my magnesium levels quickly?

Top 10 Ways To Boost Magnesium Intake
  1. Increase magnesium-rich foods in your diet. ...
  2. Add an extra magnesium supplement. ...
  3. Take a daily multivitamin to supply the co-factors for magnesium utilisation and absorption. ...
  4. Keep alcohol, fizzy drinks and caffeine to a minimum. ...
  5. Include sea vegetables as part of a balanced diet.


What vitamin helps absorption of magnesium?

Magnesium absorption increased linearly from 28-39 per cent intake with increasing dietary vitamin D.

Do you need vitamin D to absorb magnesium?

Yes. Vitamins and minerals all work in combination and rely on each other to be fully effective. Taking magnesium helps your body to absorb and use minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium, and vitamins like vitamin D.

What do you need to take with magnesium to absorb?

Magnesium is also often taken with vitamin D, because in order to absorb vitamin D, your body needs to have sufficient magnesium levels.


What medications can cause hypomagnesemia?

Hypomagnesemia occurs with both loop diuretics (furosemide, bumetanide, torsemide, and ethacrynic acid) and thiazide diuretics (chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide, indapamide, and metolazone).

How long does it take to recover from hypomagnesemia?

Chronic magnesium deficiency is often associated with normal serum magnesium despite deficiency in cells and in bone; the response to oral supplementation is slow and may take up to 40 weeks to reach a steady state.

What are signs of medical emergency when the patient has low magnesium?

Signs and symptoms of hypomagnesemia include mild tremors and generalized weakness to cardiac ischemia and death.


Can low magnesium cause stroke?

Total and dietary magnesium intake were both associated with a significantly reduced risk of total stroke; however, total magnesium intake showed greater effects than dietary intake on ischemic stroke (RR, 0.87 [95% CI, 0.80–0.94]).

Can low magnesium cause congestive heart failure?

Magnesium is important as a cofactor in several enzymatic reactions contributing to stable cardiovascular hemodynamics and electrophysiologic functioning. Its deficiency is common and can be associated with risk factors and complications of heart failure.