title: Severe hypophosphatemia--a hospital survey.
abstract: Eleven patients with a serum phosphate concentration below 0.3 mmol/l were detected in a prospective study of severe hypophosphatemia carried out over 7 weeks on 13 579 adult inpatients. For only one of these patients had a serum phosphate determination been requested by the ward, whereas the remaining cases of severe hypophosphatemia were detected as a result of the study. The most common cause of unexpected severe hypophosphatemia was chronic alcoholism.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010710:Phosphates / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D010710:Phosphates