Study of magnesium and its correlations in diabetic patients

Fasting concentrations of magnesium and related parameters were measured in 90 diabetic patients categorizing into insulin treated [34], non-insulin treated [40] and untreated diabetics [16]. Compared with age and weight matched 42 control group, serum concentrations of magnesium were significantly lower in untreated [P<0.02] and overall diabetic patients [P<0.05]. The concentration was the lowest in the insulin-treated group [P<0.01]. There was significant increase in the values of urine magnesium/day in non-insulin treated [P<0.02] and overall diabetics [P<0.02] as compared to controls. Maximum urinary loss of magnesium [7.4 mEq/day, P<0.01] was found in patients of untreated diabetes mellitus. In all diabetics, serum magnesium concentrations were inversely related to serum glucose values [Sigma = -0.34, p < 0.02] and in non-insulin treated and overall diabetics to insulin concentrations [Sigma = -0.21, p < 0.05] and Sigma = -0.19, P < 0.05 respectively]. There was again a negative correlation of serum magnesium with glycosylated haemoglobin [HbAic] in insulin treated [r = -0.61, p < 0.02] and overall diabetics [r = -0.46, p < 0.02]. Serum magnesium was positively correlated with age [Sigma = -0.36, p < 0.02] and inversely related with ketone bodies [Sigma = - 0.28, p < 0.05] when results for all groups of diabetics were pooled