Role of free radicals and substance P in magnesium deficiency.

In the United States the literature contains only sporadic references to clinical disorders of Mg-deficiency, compared to more recent interest in the benefits of magnesium infusion in myocardial infarction and other acute clinical conditions [1,2]. In Europe the clinical interest in Mg-deficiency was pioneered by Durlach in his book entitled Le Magnesium en Prutique Clinique; the English edition was entitled Magnesium in Clinical Practice [3]. In the conclusion of his book, Durlach stated: “This ion which is present in all the cells is involved in many different pathologies. Integrating a search for the disorders of magnesium metabolism in daily diagnostic processes allows determination of the indications and precise methods of magnesium therapy.” In the United States, Seelig authored a text in 1980 entitled Magnesium Dejicicncy in the Parhogerzesis sf Disease [4] and reviewed the literature concerning magnesium requirements in human nutrition and the association of magnesium deficiency with cardiovascular disease [s]. That same year Wacker published an excellent book entitled Mugnesium und Mm in which he emphasized the clinical relevance of magnesium 161. Six decades ago MacCollum [7l studied the effects of Mg-deficiency on development, reproduction, neuromuscular and humoral abnormalities in animals. In 1959 Bajusz and Selye published a paper describing the influence of electrolytes in the process of myocardial injury [8]. More recently, Lehr focused attention on magnesium and the process of cardiac necrosis [9], or cardiomyopathic lesions which had been described earlier [lo]. B.T. Altura and B.M. Altura published a series of papers which postulated