Abstract
The body of the adult human contains about 2000 mEq of magnesium with half of it in the skeleton and the other half in soft tissues (1). The concentration of magnesium is highest (15 to 20 mEq/kg wet weight) in the cells of the liver and striated muscles. The normal concentration of magnesium in plasma ranges between 1.5 and 2.0 mEq/1; about 20 to 30% of magnesium in blood is bound to protein and the rest (75 ± 9%) (SD) is present in a diffusible form (2, 3). The kidney appears to play a paramount role in maintaining the plasma levels of magnesium within a narrow limit (4). Indeed, oral or intravenous loads of magnesium are rapidly excreted (5,6) and in the magnesium deficient state or with rigid dietary restriction, magnesium almost disappears from the urine (7, 8).
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© 1984 Martinus Nijhoff Publishing, Boston/ The Hague/ Dordrecht/ Lancaster
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Massry, S.G. (1984). Hypomagnesemia and Hypermagnesemia. In: Suki, W.N., Massry, S.G. (eds) Therapy of Renal Diseases and Related Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3807-9_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3807-9_7
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