Open AccessPrevalence and Incidence of Serum Magnesium Abnormalities in Hospitalized Cats
Author(s) -
Toll Jeffrey,
Erb Hollis,
Bimbaum Nichole,
Schermerhorn Thomas
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of veterinary internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.356
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1939-1676
pISSN - 0891-6640
DOI - 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2002.tb02360.x
Subject(s) - hypermagnesemia , cats , medicine , incidence (geometry) , hypomagnesemia , gastroenterology , magnesium , materials science , physics , optics , metallurgy
Total serum magnesium concentration ([Mg 2+ ] s ) was prospectively determined for 57 cats admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Cornell University Hospital for Animals. Data were collected and analyzed to determine the following: prevalence and incidence of [Mg 2+ ] s abnormalities, medical disorders associated with altered [Mg 2+ ] s , association of altered [Mg 2+ ] s with other electrolyte abnormalities, length of hospitalization for cats with abnormalities of [Mg 2+ ] s versus those with normal [Mg 2+ ] s , and survival of cats with abnormal [Mg 2+ ] s versus those with normal [Mg 2+ ] s . The point prevalence of magnesium abnormalities was 26%, the period prevalence was 46%, and the cumulative incidence was 23%. Hypermagnesemia was associated with abnormalities of serum potassium ( P = .04) and phosphate ( P = .01) concentrations. Abnormalities of [Mg 2+ ] s were not associated with abnormal serum concentrations of Na + , Ca 2+ , or Cl ‐ . On admission, hypomagnesemia was detected in cats with gastrointestinal, endocrine, and other disorders; hypermagnesemia was detected only in cats with renal disease, obstructive uropathy, or neoplastic disease. The median hospital stay for cats that developed abnormal [Mg 2+ ] s after admission was longer than for cats that remained nor‐momagnesemic (5 versus 4 days, respectively; P = .03). Despite the longer hospital stay, the survival of these cats was lower than that of normomagnesemic cats (54 versus 77%; P = .05). When all cats were considered, the survival of cats with abnormal [Mg 2+ ] s also was decreased compared with normomagnesemic cats (62 versus 81%; P = .05). We conclude that abnormalities of [Mg 2+ ] s may affect morbidity and mortality of affected cats.