Low levels of the minerals sodium, calcium, and magnesium can alter the electrical activity of brain cells and cause seizures.
A decrease in the extracellular magnesium causes a greater influx of calcium, resulting in an even greater release of neurotransmitters. Increased glutamate-mediated depolarization in the brain can cause seizures.
Magnesium is a potential modulator of seizure activity because of its ability to antagonize excitation through the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor. Some studies have shown that people with epilepsy have lower magnesium levels than people without epilepsy.
Very low magnesium levels may cause:
Headaches. Nighttime leg cramps. Numbness or tingling in the legs or hands. General body weakness.
Magnesium deficiency can cause: loss of appetite. nausea and vomiting. fatigue and weakness.
Chronic magnesium deficiency is often associated with normal serum magnesium despite deficiency in cells and in bone; the response to oral supplementation is slow and may take up to 40 weeks to reach a steady state.
Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys, needs the mineral magnesium. It also contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones.
If the hypomagnesemia is severe, you'll likely be in a hospital and receive fluids and magnesium through an IV. Your provider will also prescribe a treatment plan to manage the underlying cause.
Vitamin B1 deficiency (thiamine deficiency) was reported to cause seizures, especially in alcoholics. Vitamin B6 depletion (pyridoxine deficiency) was reported to be associated with pyridoxine-dependent seizures. Vitamin B12 deficiency was reported to be the cause of seizures for adults and for infants.
Magnesium may act to increase the seizure threshold by inhibiting NMDA receptors, thereby limiting the effect of glutamate.
A recently developed form of magnesium, known as magnesium-L-threonate, may be particularly effective in epilepsy and other neurological disorders. This form of magnesium appears to be better at penetrating the blood-brain barrier and thus is more efficiently delivered to brain cells.
Magnesium levels should always be measured when trying to determine the etiology of seizures. Hypomagnesemia and afebrile seizures should be treated with the goal of maintaining a magnesium concentration >0.65 mmol/L.
Nutrients that may reduce seizure frequency include vitamin B6, magnesium, vitamin E, manganese, taurine, dimethylglycine, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Dietary deficiencies of magnesium, coupled with excess calcium and stress may cause many cases of other related symptoms including agitation, anxiety, irritability, confusion, asthenia, sleeplessness, headache, delirium, hallucinations and hyperexcitability, with each of these having been previously documented.
A low magnesium level can be a sign of diabetes, some digestive problems, malnourishment, or long-term (chronic) alcoholism. Lower magnesium levels during pregnancy may mean preeclampsia.
Mg deficiency leads to neurological disorders ranging from apathy to psychosis. Moreover, Mg has an effect on the regulation of synaptic plasticity (4). Several studies have suggested a neuroprotective action of Mg in the synaptic function (5).
Prolonged magnesium deficiency can have an adverse impact on a person's long-term health and increase the risk of chronic diseases, including: heart disease. high blood pressure. type 2 diabetes.
Thus, the elderly population is especially at risk of magnesium deficiency due to low intake but also increased risk for chronic diseases that predispose to magnesium deficiency (ageing also reduces magnesium absorption from the diet, ie, achlorhydria).
"The people at highest risk for low magnesium are those with diarrhea and other forms of malabsorption," like Crohn's disease and celiac disease, says Dr.
Hypomagnesemia occurs with both loop diuretics (furosemide, bumetanide, torsemide, and ethacrynic acid) and thiazide diuretics (chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide, indapamide, and metolazone).
Symptoms of Hypomagnesium:
Muscle weakness, confusion, and decreased reflexes with severely low blood magnesium levels. You may also notice "jerky" movements, high blood pressure, and irregular heart rhythms with severely low blood magnesium levels.
Likewise, magnesium deficiency can also affect mitochondrial function due to being a major co-factor necessary in energy production (13). This holds true within the eye, as OS is associated with the pathogenesis of several ocular pathologies; cataracts, retinopathies, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma (27).