The elderly are at great risk of developing life-threatening disturbances in calcium-magnesium-phosphate homeostasis because of comorbidities, long-term medication use, and dietary deficiencies, but it is still not known how often they occur in this group of patients. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of these disturbances in a group of hospitalized patients over 65 years of age according to age and sex. The study was conducted between January 2018 and September 2020 at the Central Clinical Hospital in Warsaw. A total of 66,450 calcium, magnesium, phosphate, and vitamin D concentration results were included in the analysis. Dysmagnesemia was present in 33% of the calcium results, dyscalcemia, dysphosphatemia, and dysvitaminosis D-in 23.5%, 26%, and 70% of the results, respectively. The magnesium concentration was found to be age-dependent, and older people were found to be at higher risk of developing abnormal magnesium concentrations (p < 0.001). Sex influenced the occurrence of abnormal magnesium (p < 0.001), vitamin D (p < 0.001), and calcium (p < 0.00001) concentrations, with hypercalcemia and hypervitaminosis D disorders being significantly more common in women (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, disorders of the calcium-magnesium-phosphate metabolism are common in hospitalized patients over 65 years of age, and the concentrations of these substances should be routinely monitored in this group.
Keywords: calcium; elderly; magnesium; phosphorous; vitamin D3.