Diagnosis of magnesium-induced diarrhea
Article Abstract:
Previous studies have shown that ingesting large amounts of magnesium causes diarrhea. However, this type of diarrhea is difficult to diagnose because no diagnostic test is available. In an attempt to develop such a diagnostic test, fecal material from patients with and without diarrhea was analyzed for the presence of magnesium. Stool samples from 19 normal volunteers were collected before and after diarrhea was induced by drinking solutions containing either magnesium, magnesium and phenolphthalein, or polyethylene glycol, sorbitol or sodium sulfate. Also, stool samples obtained from 359 patients with chronic diarrhea were analyzed for the presence of magnesium. The highest concentrations of magnesium were found in the stool samples taken from the patients who had consumed solutions containing magnesium, and moderate levels were found in samples from patients who consumed magnesium and phenolphthalein. Samples taken prior to the induction of diarrhea and from patients with diarrhea not induced by magnesium contained little or no magnesium. The density of the stool sample increased as the amount of magnesium present in the sample increased. Four percent of the patients with chronic diarrhea were found to have magnesium in their stool samples, indicating that ingestion of magnesium may have been responsible for their diarrhea. Magnesium is a key ingredient in many antacids and food supplements. The results of this study indicate that when diarrhea is caused by ingestion of large amounts of magnesium it can be diagnosed simply by measuring the amount of magnesium present in stool samples. It is important to diagnose the cause of diarrhea, especially in cases of chronic diarrhea, so that unnecessary, invasive and expensive procedures can be avoided. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1991
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The self-limited nature of chronic idiopathic diarrhea
Article Abstract:
Patients with recurrent chronic idiopathic diarrhea may experience a subsidence of symptoms without undergoing any specific type of treatment. Idiopathic diarrhea is a type of diarrhea that does not have any identifiable cause. Among 152 patients with chronic diarrhea, 17 (11%) were suffering from diarrhea with no identifiable cause. All of the patients with chronic idiopathic diarrhea experienced a sudden onset of symptoms, and ten had developed symptoms within one to four weeks of returning from a trip. None of the cases of idiopathic diarrhea coincided with a local outbreak of diarrhea or with the occurrence of diarrhea among the patients' family members. Biopsies of the small and large intestines were normal in all of the patients. An infectious cause of idiopathic diarrhea was not identified in any of the patients, and treatment with antibiotics was ineffective in all of them. Symptoms subsided in all of the patients within seven to 31 months of their onset.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1992
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Effect of the time of administration of calcium acetate on phosphorus binding
Article Abstract:
Chronic renal insufficiency is characterized by decreased kidney function. As a result of this disease, almost all patients retain phosphorus, thereby developing an excess of the nonmetallic element, which can lead to hyperparathyroidism (excess parathyroid production) and calcium deposits. Excess phosphorus can be reduced by the use of oral calcium and aluminum salts, which bind to the phosphorus and are eliminated in the urine. Other methods include the restriction of dietary phosphates and kidney dialysis. Absorption of binder salts into the bloodstream can be toxic. In an effort to determine the best time to administer binding salts, calcium acetate was given to six normal patients before, during and after meals. The results revealed that calcium binding salts, and presumably other binding salts, have the best binding capability and lowest binder toxicity when taken with meals.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1989
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