European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Magnesium (Mg2+) is an essential cation for multiple processes in the body. The kidney plays a
major role in regulating the Mg2+ balance. In a healthy individual, total-body Mg2+ content is
kept constant by interactions among intestine, bones and the kidneys. Hypomagnesaemia is
involved in the pathophysiology of hypertension, vascular calcification and metabolic
derangements including diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia, which are all risk factors for
cardiovascular disease; the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in all stages of chronic
kidney disease (CKD)including end-stage renal disease (ESRD).Magnesium is the second-most
abundant intracellularcation after potassium and, overall, the fourth-most abundant cation
after sodium, potassium, and calcium, and plays important roles in a number of biological
processes in the human body such as protein synthesis, muscle and nerve transmission,
neuromuscular conduction, and signal transduction.In case of chronic renal diseases, renal
regulatory mechanisms may be insufficient to balance intestinal Mg2+ absorption. Usually Mg2+
remains normal; however, when glomerular filtration rate declines, changes in serum Mg2+ are
observed.