Abstract
Background: Critical illnesses imply dysfunctions of vital organs with high risk of imminent death. Magnesium is a bioessential mineral with multiple physiological effects relevant for vital body functions. It stabilizes excitable membranes contributing to proper neuromuscular, cardiovascular and respiratory functions. Ionized Mg2+ (iMg2+) is free bioactive form of Mg2+ in body fluids. Disorders of Mg2+ status in critically ill and injured patients are often overlooked. Chronic Mg2+ deficiency is a condition of growing incidence in the general population. It is a significant factor in overall morbidity and mortality of the critically ill. Methods: Electronic search was conducted across PubMed library database without time restrictions (up to November 8, 2024), using keywords »ionized magnesium« AND »critical care patients« to identify studies investigating the value of measuring blood concentration of ionized Mg2+ fraction in patients with critical health conditions. Selection criteria included only studies on human, and excluded studies on veterinary population. Results: Since Mg2+ is predominantly an intracellular cation, it is dificult to determine Mg2+ deficiency in the body. Its early stages refer to a clinically unmanifested tissue Mg2+ deficit in the presence of normal ionized and total magnesaemia. Disconcordance between total Mg2+ and iMg2+ blood levels is frequently present in critically ill patients. Concentration of iMg2+ fraction is a more specific marker of general Mg2+ status than total Mg2+. Appropriate electrolyte analyser iMg2+ assay is needed to adequately and promptly determine Mg2+ status, and estimate the requirement for Mg2+ recompense in the case of deficiency. Conclusions: Abnormalities of Mg2+ levels are prevalent in critical patients. Their severity can impose vital threat. Monitoring iMg2+ level to assess Mg2+ status helps diagnose and correct Mg2+ disbalances to provide better patient outcome.Keywords
References
The published articles will be distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY). It is allowed to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and remix, transform, and build upon it for any purpose, even commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is provided and it is indicated if changes were made. Users are required to provide full bibliographic description of the original publication (authors, article title, journal title, volume, issue, pages), as well as its DOI code. In electronic publishing, users are also required to link the content with both the original article published in Journal of Medical Biochemistry and the licence used.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.