Serum magnesium levels of 60 children with vitamin-D-deficiency rickets, confirmed by X-ray examination of the wrists, were compared with those of 15 age-matched control children who had no evidence of rickets on radiologic examination. The mean values were 2.095 \pm 0.05 mg and 2.153 \pm 082 mg/dl in the patients and controls, respectively. The difference between these values was not significant (P > 0.05).

However, when the magnesium values of 20 hypocalcemic rachitic children were compared with those of 40 normocalcemic patients, they were found to be significantly decreased in the former group (P < 0.001).