Intoxicación por leche magnesia en una paciente pediátrica con constipación crónica: a propósito de un caso / Milk of magnesia intoxication in a pediatric patient with chronic constipation: case report

Resumen Las intoxicaciones accidentales siguen siendo un problema importante que genera gran cantidad de casos de autopsia médico legal, sobre todo cuando ocurren en pacientes pediátricos donde se deben descartar otras causas de muerte y que no se trate de un homicidio. La intoxicación con leche magnesia es un diagnóstico poco frecuente por lo que se hace necesario conocer sus características, evolución y las alteraciones metabólicas por las que se produce la muerte. La hipermagnesemia constituye una condición iatrogénica, generalmente secundaria a la administración de fármacos que contienen magnesio, entre ellos laxantes en pacientes con estreñimiento crónico, en muchas ocasiones sin supervisión médica; que puede producir depresión respiratoria, hipotensión, paro cardiorrespiratorio y la muerte. El diagnóstico de intoxicación con leche magnesia es clínico y se correlaciona con la concentración de magnesio detectada en análisis de muestras de sangre. A continuación se presenta un caso de intoxicación por leche magnesia en una paciente en edad pediátrica con antecedente de parálisis cerebral infantil y constipación crónica que desarrolló una hipermagnesemia posterior a la administración de dicho laxante por parte de sus padres.

Abstract Accidental intoxications continue to be an important problem in the Forensic Pathology field, mostly when they occur in pediatric patients where it is necessary to dismiss other causes of death and to rule out homicide. Milk of magnesia intoxication is a rare diagnosis, therefore it is important to know it´s characteristics, evolution and the metabolic disorders that lead to death. Hypermagnesemia is an iatrogenic condition, usually caused by the administration of medications that contain magnesium, such as laxatives in patients with chronic constipation, without medical supervision; that can lead to respiratory distress, hypotension, cardiac arrest and death. The diagnosis of milk of magnesia intoxication is clinical and can be correlated to the levels of magnesium found in blood sample analysis. We present a case of milk of magnesia intoxication in a 6-year-old girl with cerebral palsy and chronic constipation that was given laxatives by her parents and developed a fatal hypermagnesemia.

A Study on the Safety of Long-Term Magnesium Oxide Administration in Elderly Patients with Impaired Renal Function / 医薬品情報学

Objective: Risk factors for hypermagnesemia due to magnesium oxide (MgO) include advanced age, decreased renal function, and long-term administration; however, no study has evaluated patients that present all of these factors. This study was aimed to evaluate the safety of long-term MgO administration in elderly patients with impaired renal function.Methods: We investigated changes in serum Mg in patients aged 65 years or older, who had been taking oral MgO and presenting a glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ＜60 mL/min/1.73 m2 for 6 months or longer.Results: Thirty patients were surveyed. Their median age was 81 years (range, 68-92). No significant change in patient background was observed before and after initiating MgO administration, with no change in serum Mg detected. Furthermore, the oral dose of MgO was divided into groups taking ＜1,000 mg and ≥ 1,000 mg; no change in serum Mg was observed in either group. Based on renal function, the analysis was divided into a mildly decreased group (60＞ eGFR ≥ 45) and a moderately to severely decreased group (45＞ eGFR ≥ 15), and no change in serum Mg was observed in either group.Conclusions: We targeted elderly patients with renal dysfunction who were taking long-term MgO, a known risk factor for hypermagnesemia, indicating that MgO can be safely continued.

The influence of serum magnesium level on the prognosis of critically ill patients / 中华危重病急救医学

ObjectiveTo investigate the incidence of hypomagnesemia and the effect of serum magnesium levels on the prognosis of critically ill patients in intensive care unit (ICU).Methods A single-center prospective observation was conducted. The adult patients admitted to ICU of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from January 2012 to January 2014 were enrolled, and they were expected to stay in hospital for more than 48 hours. All the patients who had been diagnosed with hypomagnesemia before ICU admission, or those who had received magnesium supplement therapy were excluded. All patients were monitored for serum magnesium levels within 24 hours after ICU admission, and they were divided into three groups: normomagnesemic group (serum magnesium levels 0.7-1.2 mmol/L), hypomagnesemic group (serum magnesium levels 1.2 mmol/L). Various parameters were recorded for every patient, including general information, disease composition, laboratory indexes, duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU stay days and final outcome. The acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ (APACHEⅡ) score and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score during the first 24 hours after ICU admission were calculated. The risk factors for the death in critically ill patients were postulated by logistic regression analysis.Results A total of 374 critically ill patients were enrolled, with 242 patients (64.71%) in normomagnesemic group, 102 (27.27%) in hypomagnesemic group, and 30 (8.02%) in hypermagnesemic group. As to the disease composition, although the patients in normomagnesemic group and hypomagnesemic group were mainly consisted of patients with nervous system diseases (33.06%, 31.37%) or pneumonia(25.62%, 25.49%), the proportion of patients with major abdominal and thoracic surgery (15.69% vs. 5.78%,χ2= 8.837, P= 0.003) or severe sepsis (7.84% vs. 1.65%,χ2= 9.935,P= 0.007) was significantly greater in the hypomagnesemic group compared with that of normomagnesemic group, and most hypermagnesemic patients were complicated by renal dysfunction in different degrees. Compared with the normomagnesemic group, the hypomagnesemic group was found to have higher SOFA scores (6.86±3.12 vs. 5.46±2.75,t= -2.930,P= 0.004), longer stay in ICU (days: 15.98±13.29 vs. 12.43±7.14,t= -2.318,P= 0.034) and higher mortality [54.90% (56/102) vs. 33.88% (82/242),χ2= 6.587, P= 0.010], but no statistically significant differences were found in gender composition, age, levels of other electrolytes (natrium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus), and APACHEⅡ score. As shown by the result of the logistic regression analysis, APACHEⅡ score [odds ratio (OR) = 1.129, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.064-1.197,P= 0.000] and serum magnesium level (OR= 2.163, 95%CI= 1.015-4.610,P= 0.046) were independent risk factors for death in critically ill patients.Conclusion Serum magnesium levels are closely related to mortality rate in patients in ICU, so more attention should be paid to the occurrence of hypomagnesemia in critically ill patients.

Hypermagnesemia Accompanied with Colonic Perforation in a Hemodialysis Patient

We report a case of a chronic hemodialysis patient who developed hypermagnesemia due to an overdose of magnesium-containing laxative and paralytic ileus resulting in colonic perforation. Despite intravenous calcium infusion and daily hemodialysis, the patient developed ischemic colitis and intestinal perforation. Colonic perforation accompanied with hypermagnesemia in hemodialysis patients has rarely been reported. This case suggests that hypermagnesemia should be considered in renal failure patients as this can result in life-threatening events despite prompt treatment.

Idiopathic severe hypermagnesemia in an extremely low birth weight infant on the first day of life / 소아과

A preterm female infant born at 27 weeks of gestation with a birth weight of 990 g developed acute hypotonia, apnea, hypotension and bradycardia mimicking septic shock syndrome at 14h after birth. Laboratory tests indicated a severe hypermagnesemia of 45 mg/dL. The renal function, complete blood count and maternal blood concentrations of magnesium were normal, and the blood cultures were negative. The patient recovered with treatment including exchange transfusion. However, the etiology of the severe hypermagnesemia remains unknown.

Mental Change, Cardiovascular Depression and QT Prolongation Caused by Severe Hypermagnesemia: A Case Report / 대한구급학회지

A 50-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for evaluation of mental change and general weakness accompanied by an irregular and weak pulse. She had previously been diagnosed with Bartter's syndrome and had taken potassium-sparing diuretics. She had developed constipation that had led to abdominal pain and had taken excessive magnesium oxide over a long time. On admission, she was lethargic. Her blood pressure (BP) was 130/74 mmHg, with a heart rate varying from 30 to 78 beats/min. An electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed several abnormalities, including first degree AV block, QT prolongation, sinus pause with a junctional rhythm, and paroxysmal tachycardia alternating with sinus pause. Her serum concentration of magnesium was markedly elevated to 16.19 mg/dl. Hemodialysis and a calcium gluconate infusion was attempted to reduce magnesium levels and to counteract the cardiovascular effect of magnesium. As magnesium levels declined, her general medical condition improved and her ECG changes were normalized. Severe hypermagnesemia should be suspected as the cause of mental change, cardiovascular dysfunction, and variable ECG changes.

Serum Magnesium Concentration and Its Clinical Significance in Hemodialysis Patients / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: Hypermagnesemia may be implicated to have both harmful and beneficial effects in dialysis patients. It may contribute to osteomalacic renal osteodystrophy and suppression of parathyroid hormone. The purposes of this study were to analyze the serum magnesium concentration in hemodialysis patients, and to clarify the relationship between serum magnesium and intact parathyroid hormone concentration (iPTH) independently of other clinical parameters. METHODS: Eighty-one patients (38 males and 43 females) with end-stage renal failure undergoing maintenance hemodialysis in Dankook University Hospital were included in this study. The mean age was 53+/-12 years and the duration of dialysis was 36+/-35 months. The underlying kidney disease was diabetic nephropathy in 24 patients (30%). The patients used a dialysate magnesium concentration of 1.5 mEq/L. The serum magnesium, iPTH and other clinical parameters were evaluated and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean serum magnesium concentration was 2.78+/-0.45 mEq/L (range 1.50-3.95 mEq/ L). Hypermagnesemia (defined as serum Mg >2.1 mEq/L) was found in 72 patients (89%). The mean iPTH was 128+/-224 pg/mL (range 3-1, 344 pg/mL). The iPTH was significantly low, and the serum aluminum concentration was significantly high in patients (n=28) with more severe hypermagnesemia (defined as serum Mg >3.0 mEq/L). The serum magnesium, aluminum and calcium concentration have significant negative correlations with iPTH respectively (r=-0.27, -0.31, -0.28, p<0.05) in patients (n=55) with relative hypoparathyroidism (defined as iPTH <120 pg/mL). CONCLUSION: Hypermagnesemia was common in hemodialysis patients. High serum aluminum concentration should be considered in patients with moderate to severe hypermagnesemia. Furthermore, hypermagnesemia as well as high serum aluminum and calcium concentration may have a suppressive effect on PTH in patients with relative hypoparathyroidism or adynamic bone disease.