PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF CALCIUM, PHOSPHORUS, AND MAGNESIUM-METABOLISM IN ANIMALS

The goal of this article is to summarize key features of calcium, phos phorus, and magnesium pathophysiology and highlight some of the recent scientific accomplishments in these fields. The area of calcium physi ology has been especially active due to the discovery of a new calcium -regulating hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein, cloning of t he parathyroid hormone receptor and identification of a cell membrane receptor for ionized calcium. Advances have also been made in understa nding the role of phosphorus and the active form of vitamin D, 1,25-di hydroxyvitamin D in the pathogenesis of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic renal failure. The role of magnesium in many pathologic processes, including cardiac disease, is gaining a heighten ed appreciation due to its function in many metabolic processes and th e development of techniques to measure ionized magnesium concentration s.