Magnesium (blood)
| Category | Biochemistry | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test background |
Hypomagnesaemia (often associated with hypokalaemia and/or hypocalcaemia) may reflect inadequate dietary intake (eg. malnutrition, alcoholism, etc.), inadequate absorption by the GI tract (eg. Crohn’s, diarrhoea) or excessive renal excretion (eg. secondary to diabetes mellitus, long-term use of diuretics). In contrast, increased serum magnesium typically reflects kidney failure, hyperparathyroidism, Addison’s disease or is due to the administration of magnesium-containing compounds, eg. laxatives, antacids and magnesium sulphate (used in the prophylaxis of eclampsia). |
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| Clinical Indications |
Investigation of hypocalcaemia and/or hypokalaemia |
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| Reference range |
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| Sample & container required | SST (gold top) or Red top | ||||
| Sample volume | 0.5 mL | ||||
| Turnaround time | 1 day |