Serum calcium, magnesium and phosphate in bilharzial hepatic fibrosis.

Serum calcium, magnesium, phosphate and albumin were estimated in 74 bilharzial patients and 14 normal individuals as control. A significant hypocalcaemia and hyperphosphataemia was found in bilharzial patients with liver fibrosis and ascites. The authors suggest that these changes may be due to hypoparathyroidism. Both ascitic and non ascitic patients showed hypomagnesaemia. This hypomagnesaemia was more obvious in the ascitic group. The hypomagnesaemia is probably due to excess aldosterone secretion in these patients, combined with hypoparathyroidism in the cirrhotic patients with ascites.