Primary Hypomagnesemia Caused by Isolated Magnesium Malabsorption : Atypical Case in Adult

Isolated magnesium malabsorption is a rare disorder, which has been described in no more than 30 patients worldwide. Patients with this disorder typically present with convulsion and diarrhea in early infancy. Hypomagnesemia and hypocalcemia were found in a 35-year-old man with muscle cramps, who bad been diagnosed as primary hypoparathyroidism. Oral magnesium therapy corrected the low serum calcium, magnesium and parathyroid hormone levels. We report an atypical case of isolated magnesium malabsorption in an adult.(Internal Medicine 38: 261-265, 1999)