Role of Magnesium Metabolism and the Effects of Fluoride Therapy in Paget's Disease of Bone1

Abstract

Magnesium metabolism has been examined in 5 patients with active Paget's disease of bone with the use of ²⁸MgCl₂ and a multicompartmental-type analysis to describe the isotopic and metabolic data. Serial studies were also performed in one patient before, immediately following 1 yr of treatment with sodium fluoride, and 1 yr after sodium fluoride had been discontinued when both clinical and chemical evidence of recurrent disease were apparent. The results support the view that prolonged administration of large doses of sodium fluoride are beneficial in Paget's disease. The data also define abnormal magnesium metabolism in this disorder as reflected in a significant decrease in exchangeable magnesium and abnormal increments in magnesium turnover. The chronic administration of sodium fluoride to one patient with Paget's disease resulted in a suppression of the pathologically accelerated magnesium turnover and a reversion of exchangeable magnesium values toward normal. This investigation provides further evidence that multicompartmental analytical computer techniques can be effectively applied to an understanding of bone metabolism.