Neonatal Hypomagnesemia with Selective Malabsorption of Magnesium — a Clinical Entity

Abstract

A male infant is reported on who at the age of four weeks presented generalized tetanic convulsions associated with hypomagnesemia and hypocalcemia. The condition did not respond to calcium therapy, whereas magnesium therapy led to normalization of the clinical as well as the biochemical picture. Continuous oral magnesium therapy has been necessary to avoid recurrence of symptoms during 18 months of follow-up. On this therapy the child has developed normally. Experimental evidence is presented that the hypomagnesemia can be attributed to a defect in the intestinal absorption of magnesium. No other signs of malabsorption have been disclosed. Three similar cases have previously been reported in the literature, and it is suggested that these cases represent the same definite clinical entity.