What is the Purpose of Serum Magnesium Test?

Serum magnesium test is an investigation advised when a person presents with certain symptoms related to high or low magnesium in the body. It is necessary to maintain an optimum level of magnesium in the blood, however, certain factors can cause alterations in the normal level and lead to health problems. If you have been advised this test, you may want to know as to what is the purpose of serum magnesium test and its procedure.

Magnesium is naturally present in some food items like nuts, dry fruits, seeds, beans and green vegetables. While consumption of these foods help to maintain magnesium levels in blood, some illnesses or malabsorption problems too can affect the serum magnesium levels. Similarly some may experience too high magnesium levels in blood. As both extremes are harmful for your health, the main purpose of serum magnesium test is to check the levels in blood to detect deficiency or excess of magnesium in your body and begin appropriate treatment.

Serum magnesium test may be recommended to detect abnormalities in the levels of magnesium in your blood. The purpose of serum magnesium test is to give an idea of possible conditions causing alterations in the normal magnesium levels.

As bad effects of mineral deficiency can spell trouble over you, abnormally higher levels may also cause several abnormalities in the normal functioning of the body organs. You may encounter many problems if the level of magnesium in body is high or low and the purpose of this test is to detect the level. Your doctor may recommend a magnesium test to check as to what is the reason behind the faulty functioning of the body organs.

Some symptoms which may be one of the purpose of serum magnesium test include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, difficulty in falling or staying asleep, numbness and tingling, easy irritability and increased stress. These may be related to lowered magnesium levels in your blood and your doctor may recommend this test.

Similarly, checking for very high levels of magnesium is another purpose or serum magnesium test. People taking regular magnesium supplements may show levels higher than normal, which is also a concern.

The purpose of serum magnesium test also includes

• Detection of kidney, heart problems or diabetes,
• Detection of thyroid or other hormonal problems,
• Assessing the severity of these conditions
• Diagnosis of malabsorption conditions,
• Assessing repeated diarrhea and gastric disturbances
• Evaluating a case of chronic pain and muscle weakness
• Alcoholism.

Serum Magnesium Test – its Procedure

Procedure of serum magnesium test is quite simple as it is a simple blood test. Your blood sample will be collected and the test will be performed in a laboratory. The serum magnesium test results will reveal the level of magnesium in your blood. If you are deficient of magnesium and suffer from any underlying certain medical conditions you may require supplementation of magnesium.

Serum magnesium test involves pricking with a needle to draw blood, minor pain in the area can be expected. While this procedure does not cause any problems, some people may experience minor bruising in the area.

The test results must be correlated with the symptoms of a person and clinical examination findings. The results of serum magnesium test are best explained by your doctor. Some of the conditions related to altered level of serum magnesium must be known.

Lowered Levels Of Serum Magnesium Are Seen In:

• Dietary deficiency and malabsorption,
• Chronic gastric problems, diarrhea and an inflamed gut
• Disorders of the parathyroid gland, adrenal gland and pancreas,
• Poorly controlled diabetes
• High blood pressure, complications in pregnancy like toxemia
• Post-surgical cases and severe burns
• Excessive urine or use of diuretics
• Liver disorders
• Alcoholism

High Levels of Magnesium in Blood Are Often Seen in Conditions Like:

• Over use of antacids containing magnesium
• Thyroid and parathyroid disorders
• Kidney disease or renal failure
• Adrenal gland disorder
• Dehydration.

Knowing about these conditions and evaluating the progress is important to plan proper treatment and prevent complications. The purpose of serum magnesium level is to detect such conditions in time, begin prompt treatment and to evaluate ongoing treatment for conditions influencing serum magnesium level.