Treatment of refractory hypophosphatemia

Profound hypophosphatemia developed in a patient with chronic alcoholism. Multiple causative factors were identified and were thought to account for the initial failure of phosphorus repletion. High-dose intravenous phosphorus was effective in restoring serum phosphorus to normal with no observable adverse effects. Because of the high degree of correlation between hypophosphatemia and hypomagnesemia, we recommended that serum magnesium be determined in all hypophosphatemic patients.