Magnesium - Update 2021: Ionized magnesium as an early marker of a magnesium deficiency

ABSTRACT

The role of magnesium is of growing interest in internal medicine, especially in cardiovascular diseases and in patients with diabetes mellitus or in geriatrics. Ionized magnesium is the physiologically active component of blood magnesium, so total serum magnesium is not always an accurate indicator of magnesium status, whereas ionized magnesium is probably as an early marker indicating a magnesium loss. Our presentation will describe recent studies showing statistically significant decreased ionized magnesium in patients with various diseases, e.g., heart insufficiency, arteriosclerosis, lipid disorder, hypertension, heart rhythm disorders, diabetes mellitus, bone stiffness, and immune function in COVID-19 disease. The presentation describes why measurement of ionized magnesium is a better tool to manage magnesium handling more correctly.