Hypomagnesemia

What is Hypomagnesemia?

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​Hypokalemia means the magnesium level in your blood is too low.  Magnesium is an important electrolyte that helps support normal nerve, muscle, and heart function.  Low magnesium can also occur along with other electrolyte problems, including low potassium and calcium.

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Common Symptoms

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Hypomagnesemia may be mild and sometimes causes no symptoms.  When symptoms do occur, they may include fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps or spasms, or mental fog.  In more severe cases, hypomagnesemia can lead to confusion, seizures, abnormal heart rhythms if not managed appropriately.

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Common Causes​

Hypomagnesemia can happen for many different reasons.  Common causes include chronic diarrhea, poor nutrition or malnutrition, alcohol use disorder, malabsorption conditions such as celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease, and certain medicals such as diuretics, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or chemotherapy. 

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How AKC Can Help

At Advanced Kidney care (AKC), our team is experienced in evaluating and treating hypomagnesemia.  Not only do we work to identify the reason why your magnesium is low, but we also help guide treatment such as magnesium replacement, medication changes and ongoing monitoring to help restore magnesium safely and to reduce the risk of serious complications.  . 

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For patients with a history of hypomagnesemia, ongoing follow-up is important.  Regular monitoring can help detect recurrent low magnesium levels early, especially in patients with chronic medical conditions or those taking medications that can lower magnesium.