A 50-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for evaluation of mental change and general weakness accompanied by an irregular and weak pulse. She had previously been diagnosed with Bartter's syndrome and had taken potassium-sparing diuretics. She had developed constipation that had led to abdominal pain and had taken excessive magnesium oxide over a long time. On admission, she was lethargic. Her blood pressure (BP) was 130/74 mmHg, with a heart rate varying from 30 to 78 beats/min. An electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed several abnormalities, including first degree AV block, QT prolongation, sinus pause with a junctional rhythm, and paroxysmal tachycardia alternating with sinus pause. Her serum concentration of magnesium was markedly elevated to 16.19 mg/dl. Hemodialysis and a calcium gluconate infusion was attempted to reduce magnesium levels and to counteract the cardiovascular effect of magnesium. As magnesium levels declined, her general medical condition improved and her ECG changes were normalized. Severe hypermagnesemia should be suspected as the cause of mental change, cardiovascular dysfunction, and variable ECG changes.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
An unusual presentation of severe preeclampsia presenting with maternal collapse in the post-cesarean section secondary to drug toxicity associated with pituitary hemorrhage: a case report Krishna Mylavarapu Kumar, Shyam Madabushi, Amit Lall, Pranjali D. Dwivedi Ain-Shams Journal of Anesthesiology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Symptomatic Hypermagnesemia in Normal Kidney Function with a Colonic Cleansing Agent Taehong Kim, Tae Hyung Kim, Won Hyuk Lee, Yoo Jin Lee, Sihyung Park, Bong Soo Park, Yang Wook Kim The Korean Journal of Medicine.2016; 91(3): 306. CrossRef