:: Volume 9, Issue 4 (9-2018) ::
Caspian J Intern Med 2018, 9(4): 413-415 Back to browse issues page
Fatal Hypermagnesemia: an acute ingestion of Epsom Salt in a patient with normal renal function
Muhammad Shoaib Khan , Sohaib Zahid , Muhammad Ishaq
Department of Cardiac MRI, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, USA , MShoaibKhanAimc@gmail.com
Abstract:   (4524 Views)
Background: Generally, it is very rare for clinically significant hypermagnesemia to develop in an individual with normal renal functions as the renal handling of serum magnesium is a very potent process and it has the capacity, under conditions of hypermagnesemia, to completely block Mg (magnesium) reabsorption from the thick ascending limb of Henle. Therefore, hypermagnesemia usually arises in the setting of renal failure.
Case presentation: We present a very rare case of a 40-year-old African American obese female with prior normal renal functions, who presented post-cardiac arrest following accidental overdose of Epsom salt. The patient was initially given supportive therapy and was later considered for the dialysis despite normal renal functions, as serum Mg levels kept on creeping up and clinical status kept on deteriorating continuously.
Conclusions: Seemingly harmless magnesium containing (over-the-counter) (OTC) can potentially be lethal, and such consequences must always be taken into account when using such medications for a prolonged period of time.

 
Keywords: Epsom salt, Magnesium, Hypermagnesemia, Normal Renal Functions
Full-Text [PDF 144 kb]   (792 Downloads)    
Type of Study: case report | Subject: Nephrology
Received: 2017/12/25 | Accepted: 2018/05/1 | Published: 2018/10/1



XML     Print



Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Volume 9, Issue 4 (9-2018) Back to browse issues page