title: Effect of magnesium on nerve conduction velocity during regular dialysis treatment.
abstract: Serial nerve conduction velocities in the peroneal and ulnar nerves have been measured in 10 patients on regular dialysis treatment over a three year period. Each patient alternated between phases on dialysis with magnesium-containing dialysate (1·5-1·7 m-equiv/l.) and phases on `magnesium-free' dialysate (0·2 m-equiv/l.). Plasma magnesium concentrations were high both pre- and post-dialysis during magnesium-containing dialysis, and normal to low on magnesium-free dialysis. All patients had defects in nerve conduction, mainly asymptomatic. Increases in nerve conduction velocity coincided with magnesium-free dialysis, and decreases occurred when the patients reverted to magnesium-containing dialysate. The significance of the correlation by the sign test was P<0·0005. It is concluded that extracellular magnesium levels can influence the rate of nerve conduction in vivo.
mesh_terms: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000187:drug effects; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D008274:Magnesium