Magnesium Test

This test is used to find out the Magnesium levels in the blood.

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium Mg is a macro-mineral which is naturally presented in many food items like milk, peanut butter, spinach, banana, beans etc. It is also available in some medicines and added to other food products as dietary supplements. The average human body contains about 25 grams of Magnesium Mg. Magnesium regulates the electrolyte balance in the body and also protects the DNA. It also helps in the production and synthesis of ATP which acts as a fuel to the cell. Mg is also a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems. These enzyme systems regulate the diverse biochemical reactions in the body. Mg plays an important in the protein synthesis, blood pressure regulation, blood glucose control and in the nerve and muscle functions.

Magnesium Mg plays an important role in the relaying signals between the brain and the body. It acts as a gatekeeper for the NMDA receptors which are found on the nerve cells and helps in brain development, learning, and memory. It also helps in maintaining a healthy heart rate by competing with the calcium which enters the heart for stimulating the contraction of the heart. Magnesium acts as natural calcium blocker and helps muscle cells to relax after contraction. Magnesium also helps to lower the blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. It provides health benefits like reducing the symptoms of depression and improving sleep quality.

Why this test is performed?

The Magnesium Blood Test is done to know whether an individual is having normal or abnormal magnesium levels in the blood of the body. The doctor may ask to perform this test if an individual is suffering from conditions like hypomagnesemia (low levels of magnesium) and hypermagnesemia (high levels of magnesium). This test is also done to determine the risk of developing heart disease. If an individual is on the treatment of anti-diuretic medications like vasopressin, chlorothiazide etc., then the doctor may ask to perform this test to evaluate and to check the effectiveness of the treatment and Mg levels in the body. This helps the doctor to rule out the patient disease condition. If an individual is suffering from symptoms like weakness, muscle cramps, diarrhea, confusion, seizures, then the doctor may ask to do the Magnesium Blood Test. The doctor may recommend this test for pregnant women to check the possibilities of occurrence of pre-eclampsia (pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure).

Generally, when a patient is diagnosed with kidney failure or malnutrition visits hospital for a general check-up, the doctor may ask to undergo the Magnesium blood test which gives a better status of the condition. This test is also performed to provide a clear idea regarding the malnutrition of an individual and kidney dysfunction. Mostly, this test is done along with other Magnesium tests to confirm the diagnosis.

Precautions:

Drugs like lithium, aspirin, digoxin, phenytoin, insulin, cyclosporin, vasopressin, indapamide, etc may change the levels of Magnesium in the blood. So inform your doctor prior to the test if you are on these medications.

If test results are more than the normal range then it may indicate that there may be conditions likes kidney dysfunction or kidney failure, high consumption of food items containing Magnesium, hypermagnesemia (high levels of magnesium), decreased absorption of Mg from the intestine, cardiac arrest (sudden and unexpected loss of heart function), irregular heartbeat, low bone density, low calcium levels, alcoholism (uncontrolled drinking of alcohol), aldosteronism (excessive secretion of aldosterone), hyperthyroidism (overproduction of hormones by thyroid gland), high Vitamin-D levels, type-2 diabetes, diabetic acidosis (more blood acids production due to extra glucose), dehydration.

If test results are less than the normal range, then it indicates that there may be a chance for conditions like kidney stones, hypomagnesemia (low levels of magnesium), vitamin-D deficiency, hypothyroidism (decreased production of hormones by thyroid gland), migraine headaches, muscle spasms (contraction or tightening of the muscle fibres), ischemic heart disease (damage to the heart’s major blood supply vessels), pancreatic insufficiency (insufficient production of digestive enzymes by pancreas), depression, inflammation in the body, high blood pressure, malnutrition (lack of sufficient nutrients in diet and thus nutrients deficiency in body), heart disease, decreased sleep, low Mg in diet, uncontrolled diabetes, Crohn's disease (chronic inflammation in the lining of the digestive tract), severe burns, prolonged diarrhea, pre-eclampsia (pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure).