Hypomagnesemia and smooth muscle contractility: diffuse esophageal spasm in an old female patient
Iannello S, et al.
Published in Mineral and Electrolyte Metabolism
Methodology
Single-patient case report describing an elderly woman with severe dysphagia for solids and marked hypomagnesaemia, with oesophagography demonstrating diffuse oesophageal spasm, discussed against the published literature on magnesium and smooth muscle contractility.
Key Findings
This is a single case report of an elderly woman admitted with severe difficulty swallowing solid food, in whom laboratory testing showed marked low magnesium (1.1 mEq/L). She had a 20-year history of allergic bronchial asthma treated with theophylline, a drug that can lower magnesium. Barium swallow imaging showed disordered oesophageal motility with diffuse multiple spasm, the "corkscrew oesophagus" appearance. The authors discuss a possible link between the severe hypomagnesaemia and the smooth muscle spasm, drawing on the existing literature.
Conclusions
Our observation of a severe form of esophageal spasm, associated with hypomagnesemia, in an aged female patient underlines the pathophysiological meaning of the plasma Mg level and suggests the need for routine Mg determination in the clinical setting.
Limitations
A single patient with no control or comparison, so no causal conclusion is possible and the finding cannot be generalised; her long-term theophylline use is an alternative explanation for both the low magnesium and the symptoms.
Supplements Studied
Our observation of a severe form of esophageal spasm, associated with hypomagnesemia, underlines the pathophysiological meaning of the plasma Mg level.
Related Health Concerns
Study Details
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