Hereditary etiologies of hypomagnesemia.

Magnesium ions are essential to all living cells. As the second most abundant intracellular cation, magnesium has a crucial role in fundamental metabolic processes such as DNA and protein synthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, enzyme function, ion channel regulation, and neuromuscular excitability. After presenting an overview of magnesium homeostasis, we review the etiologies of hypomagnesemia, with an emphasis on hereditary causes.