Peritoneal Dialysis & Magnesium Deficiency

Healthy kidneys remove wastes from the blood. For patients with chronic kidney disease, the kidneys no longer perform this function efficiently. If kidney function becomes so impaired that it no longer sustains life, dialysis can keep patients alive until a kidney becomes available for transplant. Patients can choose between hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Hemodialysis involves hooking up the patient to a dialyzer that filters the blood. Peritoneal dialysis does not require a machine and is often easier for working patients.

Peritoneal Dialysis

Patients who opt for peritoneal dialysis over hemodialysis have a catheter implanted in their belly. They use this catheter to introduce several liters of a liquid called a dialysis solution into their abdominal cavity. The abdominal cavity is the section of the body that contains the stomach. The walls of the abdominal cavity are lined with a membrane called the peritoneal membrane. Wastes filter through this membrane into the dialysis fluid. After several hours, the patients removes the dialysis fluid from their abdominal cavity using the catheter.

Magnesium

The adult body contains about 25g of magnesium. This mineral is essential in biochemical reactions involving adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. ATP plays a role in the synthesis of DNA and RNA, the metabolism of glucose, and many other metabolic processes. Magnesium also plays a structural role in cell membranes, chromosomes and bones.

Managing Dialysis Patients

While dialysis saves lives, both peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis remove important nutrients as well as wastes. Managing dialysis patients involves monitoring nutrients levels, adjusting dialysis procedures and recommending dietary changes to compensate for the effects of end stage kidney disease. Working with a renal dietitian is important because these patients often have high serum levels of potassium, phosphorus and vitamin A while simultaneously being malnourished.

Dialysis Fluid Concentrations

Research reported in the 1995 "Peritoneal Dialysis International" showed that magnesium deficiencies in peritoneal dialysis patients are a function of the magnesium concentration in the dialysis fluid. Hypomagnesemia, or low serum magnesium levels, developed in 64 percent of peritoneal dialysis patients who used a 0.5 mEq/L solution. The authors of this study warned that magnesium supplements might be needed if patients use this type of dialysis fluid.

Peritoneal Dialysis & Magnesium Deficiency