Relationship between Serum Magnesium, Parathyroid Hormone, and Vascular Calcification in Patients on Dialysis: A Literature Review

Secondary hyperparathyroidism is present in most patients with end-stage renal disease and has been linked to uremic bone disease, vascular calcification, and mortality. Current literature suggests an association between hypomagnesemia and cardiovascular disease in the general population. We reviewed all published studies on the relationship between serum magnesium and parathyroid hormone and the relationship between serum Mg and vascular calcification in dialysis patients. Of these, 10 of 12 studies of patients on hemodialysis and 4 of 5 studies of patients on peritoneal dialysis showed a significantinverse relationship between serum Mg and serum intact parathyroid hormone. Hyperparathyroidism develops in peritoneal dialysis patients dialyzed with a solution containing normal calcium (1.25 mmol/L) and low Mg (0.25 mmol/L), even though serum calcium is maintained at a normal level. Four of the hemodialysis studies and one of the peritoneal dialysis studies indicated that there is an inverse relationship between serum Mg and vascular calcification in these patients. Potential benefits have been attributed to magnesium carbonate as a phosphate binder and it may possibly be an effective, less toxic, less expensive phosphate binder. We believe that the role of Mg in secondary hyperparathyroidism and vascular calcification merits further investigation.