Magnesium carbonate is an effective phosphate binder for chronic hemodialysis patients: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of magnesium carbonate as a phosphate binder in hemodialysis patients. DESIGN: This study was a prospective, randomized, open-label trial comparing magnesium carbonate/calcium carbonate versus calcium acetate as a sole phosphate binder. SETTING: This study involved outpatient hemodialysis. PARTICIPANTS: We recruited 30 stable hemodialysis patients without a history of frequent diarrhea. INTERVENTION: After receiving informed consent, we randomized patients 2:1 to magnesium carbonate versus calcium acetate. The dose of each binder was titrated to achieve the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) phosphate target of <5.5 mg/dL. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The efficacy-phase serum phosphorus concentration and the percentage of patients meeting K-DOQI targets for phosphorus, along with the daily elemental calcium intake, were the primary outcome measures. RESULTS: Magnesium carbonate provided equal control of serum phosphorus (70.6% of the magnebind group and 62.5% of the calcium acetate group had their average serum phosphorus within the K-DOQI target during the efficacy phase), while significantly reducing daily elemental calcium ingestion from phosphate binders (908 +/- 24 vs. 1743 +/- 37 mg/day, P < .0001). CONCLUSION: Magnesium carbonate was generally well-tolerated in this selected patient population, and was effective in controlling serum phosphorus while reducing elemental calcium ingestion.