Table 2.
Working table of serum magnesium reference ranges for various hospitals and institutions
| Institution code | Country | Institution | Serum magnesium reference rangea | Methodb | Researcher | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mg/dL | mmol/L | mEq/L | |||||
| CH1 | Switzerland | Kantonsspital Aarau | 1.58–2.55 | 0.65–1.05 | 1.3–2.1 | Photometric | Anton Kraus |
| CH2 | Switzerland | University Hospital, Zurich | 1.6–2.6 |
0.66–1.07 (age dependent) |
1.3–2.1 | Photometric | Anton Kraus |
| CH3 | Switzerland | Analytica Medizinische Lab, Zurich | 1.7–2.67 | 0.7–1.10 | 1.4–2.2 | Photometric | Anton Kraus |
| CH4 | Switzerland | Laboratory of Dr. Risch | 1.6–2.6 |
0.66–1.07 (age dependent) |
1.3–2.1 | Photometric | Anton Kraus |
| CN1 | China | Zhanghou Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Zhangzhou | 1.46–2.67 | 0.6–1.1 | 1.2–2.2 | NR | Andrea Rosanoff [18] |
| DE1 | Germany | Dr. Schottdorf Augsburg Laboratory | 1.75–2.43 | 0.75–1.0 | 1.5–2.0 | Photometric, colorimetric, xylidyl blue | Bodo von Ehrlich |
| DE2 | Germany | Medical Office | 2.07–2.67 | 0.85–1.1 | 1.7–2.2 | Photometric, colorimetric, xylidyl blue | Bodo von Ehrlich |
| DE3 | Germany | St. Elisabeth Hospitals Herne | 1.6–2.5 | 0.66–1.03 | 1.3–2.06 | NR | Klaus Kisters |
| DE4 | Germany | Laboratory Enders, Stuttgart (https://www.labor-enders.de/analysenverzeichnis) | 1.6–2.6 | 0.66–1.07 | 1.3–2.1 | Colorimetric | Anton Kraus |
| DE5 | Germany | Laboratory Amedes Hosding, Hamburg (https://www.amedes-group.com) | 1.6–2.6 | 0.66–1.07 | 1.3–2.1 | Atomic absorption spectroscopy | Anton Kraus |
| DE6 | Germany | Franziskus Hospital Bielefeld | 1.7–2.67 | 0.7–1.1 | 1.4–2.2 | Photometric | Oliver Micke |
| GB1 | UK | UK Hospitals – National Health Service | 1.7–2.43 | 0.7–1.00 | 1.4–2.0 |
Colorimetric, xylidyl blue |
Rhian Touyz and Yee Pang Teoh |
| IL1 | Israel | Chaim Sheba Medical Center | 1.9–2.7 | 0.78–1.1 | 1.6–2.2 | Photometric color test | Michael Shechter |
| IN1 | India | Nirogyam Pathology Laboratory | 2.07–2.67 | 0.85–1.1 | 1.7–2.2 | NR | Oliver Micke |
| IR1 | Iran | National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Iran | 1.5–2.6 | 0.62–1.07 | 1.2–2.1 | Colorimetric | Guitti Pourdowlat and Shadi Baniasadi |
| IT1 | Italy | University Hospital of Palermo, Italy | 1.6–2.5 | 0.66–1.03 | 1.3–2.06 | Colorimetric | Mario Barbagallo |
| IT2 | Italy | Policlinico Gemelli, Rome | 1.8–2.4 | 0.74–0.99 | 1.48–2.0 | Colorimetric | Federica Wolf |
| IT3 | Italy | Campus Biomedico, Rome | 1.6–2.6 | 0.66–1.07 | 1.3–2.1 | Enzymatic assay | Federica Wolf |
| IT4 | Italy | Clinical Pathology Laboratory at Sacco Hospital | 1.4–2.4 | 0.58–0.99 | 1.15–2.0 | Enzymatic assay (isocitrate dehydrogenase) | Jeanette Maier |
| IT5 | Italy | Used UCSF (USA) ref range for study at Reggio Emilia Hospital | 1.7–2.2 | 0.70–0.905c | 1.4–1.8 | NR | Stefano Iotti and Lucia Merolle |
| JP1 | Japan | Jikei University, Japan | 1.8–2.6 | 0.74–1.07 | 1.48–2.14 | Colorimetric, xylidyl blue | Ka Kahe and Kuninobu Yokota |
| KR1 | Korea | Ajou University School of Medicine, South Korea | 1.6–2.6 | 0.66–1.07 | 1.3–2.1 | Colorimetric | Ka Kahe and Dae Jung Kim |
| MX1 | Mexico | 1.8–2.2 | 0.74–0.905 | 1.48–1.8 | Colorimetric, xylidyl blue | Claudia Gamboa | |
| PL1 | Poland | Diagnostic Medical Laboratory "Synevo" |
1.60–2.60 (age dependent) |
0.66–1.07 | 1.3–2.1 | Colorimetric, xylidyl blue; fasting |
Jeanette Maier and Magdalena Maj-Zurawska |
| RO1 | Romania | Fundeni Clinical Hospital Bucuresti | 1.7–2.4 (adult patients) | 0.70–0.99 | 1.40–1.98 | Spectrophometric | Mihai Nechifor |
| RO2 | Romania | Iasi Recovery Clinical Hospital | 1.6–2.6 (> 12 y) | 0.66–1.07 | 1.36–2.14 | Spectrophometric | Mihai Nechifor |
| BIOCLINICA | 1.6–2.6 (> 14 y) | ||||||
| St. Spiridon County Clinical Hospital Iasi | 1.6–2.6 (no age specified) | Colorimetric | |||||
| RO3 | Romania | Timis Country Emergency Clinical Hospital, Timisoara | 1.6–2.3 (no age specified) | 0.66–0.95 | 1.36–1.90 | Spectrophometric | Mihai Nechifor |
| RO4 | Romania | Synevo network of private labs | 1.6–2.4 (> 20 y) | 0.66–0.99 | 1.36–1.98 | Colorimetric | Mihai Nechifor |
| SK1 | Slovakia | ICB, University Hospital Martin, Slovakia | 1.77–2.58 |
0.73–1.06 (adult male) |
1.46–2.1 | Colorimetric, xylidyl blue | Martin Kolisek |
| SK2 | Slovakia | ICB, University Hospital, Martin, Slovakia | 1.87–2.5 |
0.77–1.03 (adult female) |
1.5–2.06 | Colorimetric, xylidyl blue | Martin Kolisek |
| SK3 | Slovakia | Alpha Medical, Unilabs Group, Slovakia | 1.53–2.6 | 0.63–1.07 | 1.26–2.14 | Colorimetric | Martin Kolisek |
| TW1 | Taiwan | Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan | 1.7–2.8 | 0.70–1.15 | 1.4–2.3 | NR | Fu-Chou Cheng |
| US1 | USA | Indiana University Hospital Pathology Laboratory | 1.6–2.9 | 0.66–1.19 | 1.3–2.4 | Colorimetric | Nana Gletsu-Miller and Taylor Wallace |
| US2 | USA | University of Louisville, Louisville, KY | 1.7–2.3 | 0.70–0.95 | 1.4–1.9 | Colorimetric, calmagite | Ron Elin |
| US3 | USA | Dartmouth | 1.68–2.60 | 0.69–1.07 | 1.4–2.1 | NR | Emily Campbell |
| US4 | USA | Medical University of South Carolina | 1.6–2.6 | 0.66–1.07 | 1.3–2.1 | NR | Emily Campbell |
| US5 | USA | Clinical laboratories, Hawaii | 1.7–2.4 | 0.70–0.99 | 1.4–1.98 | Colorimetric | Andrea Rosanoff |
| US6 | USA | Diagnostic laboratories, Hawaii | 1.6–2.6 | 0.66–1.07 | 1.3–2.1 | Colorimetric | Andrea Rosanoff |
| US7 | USA | Clinical Laboratory, Indiana University School of Medicine Diabetes Center Translation Core | 1.70–2.70 | 0.70–1.1 | 1.4–2.2 | Colorimetric (xylidyl blue) | Yiqing Song |
| US8 | USA | UCSF (https://www.ucsfhealth.org/medical-tests/magnesium-blood-test) | 1.7–2.2c | 0.70–0.905c | 1.4–1.8c | NR | Stefano Iotti |
| US9 | USA | Mayo Clinical Laboratories (age > 17 y) |
1.7–2.3 (age dependent) |
0.70–0.95 | 1.4–1.9 | NR | Stefano Iotti |
| US10 | USA | National Institutes of Health Clinical Center | 1.6–2.6 | 0.66–1.07 | 1.3–2.1 | Enzymatic, assayed on Abbott Architect. Alert levels: < 1.0 or > 5.0 mg/dL | Rebecca Costello |
| US11 | USA | Columbia University Presbyterian Hospital, New York | 1.6–2.6 | 0.66–1.07 | 1.3–2.1 | NR | Ka KaHe |
These data were gathered by MaGNet for the Global Magnesium Project, 2020–2021
NR, not reported; UCSF, University of California, San Francisco
aBolded values are those provided by the researchers. Nonbolded values are the respective conversions (conversion factor: for mg/dL to mmol/L, multiply by
0.4114; for mmol/L to mg/dL, multiply by 2.43; and for mmol/L to mEq/L, divide by 0.5)
bIn Fig. 2, colorimetric, photometric, and spectrophometric designations of methodology are all classified under colorimetry
cThe published UCSF serum magnesium reference range reports 1.7–2.2 mg/dL (shown in bold here) converting to 0.85–1.1 mmol/L on their webpage. However, the correct conversion for 1.7–2.2 mg/dL is 0.70–0.905 mmol/L, not 0.85–1.1 mmol/L; possibly their reported value of 1.7–2.2 is mEq/L (rather than mg/dL), which converts to 0.85–1.1 mmol/L