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[Magnesium: a supercation misunderstood? Overview and survey of GPs in "Ille-et-Vilaine"]

Marie Penquerc'h1, Denis Picot2, Cécile Vigneau3

  • 1Service de néphrologie, CHU de Rennes, 2, rue Le Guilloux, 35033 Rennes, France.

Nephrologie & Therapeutique
|December 28, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Most general practitioners (GPs) frequently prescribe magnesium supplements, often without a clear indication, due to widespread information and patient requests. This practice highlights a disconnect between clinical need and prescription habits for magnesium therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology and Therapeutics
  • General Practice and Primary Care
  • Mineral Metabolism

Background:

  • Magnesium supplementation has numerous attributed medical indications, creating a complex therapeutic landscape despite limited evidence of widespread deficiency.
  • Real hypomagnesemia is rare, yet oral magnesium drugs are widely prescribed.
  • In France, the High Authority for Health (HAS) only approves magnesium supplementation for proven magnesium deficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge regarding magnesium's therapeutic uses.
  • To analyze the prescribing practices of general practitioners (GPs) concerning magnesium supplementation.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 100 general practitioners in Ille-et-Vilaine, France.
  • An e-questionnaire with 27 questions (38 items) was administered after telephone agreement.
  • Data collected included prescribing practices, knowledge of magnesium, and demographic information.

Main Results:

  • 96% of responding GPs frequently prescribe magnesium, with 70% finding it relevant to their practice.
  • A significant 26% of GPs prescribe magnesium even when they do not perceive a clear clinical indication.
  • Prescriptions initiated by specialists or patients (often influenced by media/internet) accounted for only 7% each.

Conclusions:

  • General practitioners' knowledge and prescribing habits for magnesium are heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry and patient demand.
  • There is a notable discrepancy between the prevalence of magnesium prescribing and the actual incidence of diagnosed hypomagnesemia.
  • Further education and evidence-based guidelines are needed to align magnesium prescribing practices with established medical indications.
Keywords:
General practiceMagnesiumMagnésiumMédecine généralePrescription

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