Magnesium - faeces
Last updated: Thursday, 18, March, 2004
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| Item | Process |
|---|---|
| Specimen | 24 hour faecal collection. |
| Method | Atomic absorption spectrophotometry, spectrophotometry. |
| Reference Interval | <45 mmol/L; <15 mmol/24 hours. |
| Application | Identification of magnesium-containing laxatives as the cause of diarrhoea. Documentation of increased loss of magnesium from the gut as a cause of hypomagnesaemia. |
| Interpretation | Patients with diarrhoea due to surreptitious self-administration of magnesium-containing laxatives show increased faecal magnesium, as do patients with hypomagnesaemia due to magnesium loss from the gut. |
| Reference | Fine KD et al. N Engl J Med 1991; 324: 1012-1017. |