Rulie Buragohain1 , Archana Sood2 , Suman Kumari Pandey3 , Rohini Kanta Goswami4
BACKGROUND Magnesium is an essential cofactor for many enzymes involved in various metabolic processes in the body. Magnesium is present in the human body primarily as free magnesium or protein bound (primarily albumin), in which the free or ionized magnesium is the physiologically active form. Magnesium deficit has been frequently identified in type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients. The mechanism which eventually leads to the deficiency of magnesium in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients may be because of low dietary intake of magnesium and / or also due to an increased renal excretion of magnesium in urine as a result of osmotic diuresis in such patients. Its deficiency has been implicated in the progression and development of complications of DM. Role of magnesium in the development of microalbuminuria has not been established fully with various authors having differing opinions on its role. In our study, we estimated the serum magnesium levels in type 2 DM and studied its correlation with microalbuminuria. METHODS 50 patients of Type 2 DM and 50 controls attending Medicine OPD were included in the study. The case and control groups were age and sex matched. History of smoking, alcohol use, chronic diseases history, and use of medications which modify the metabolism of magnesium was obtained by a standard interview questionnaire. Blood samples were collected for serum magnesium estimation in sterile empty vials. Random sample of urine was collected for microalbumin estimation. The samples were processed and analysed by automated chemistry. Data was then analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). RESULTS S. Mg in male cases was 1.61 ± 0.16 mg/dL and female cases was 1.67 ± 0.11 mg/dL compared to 1.9 ï?± 0.16 mg/dL in male controls and 1.93 ï?± 0.16 mg/dL in female controls. Urine MA in cases was 22.04 ± 7.72 mg/L and 9.34 ± 2.57 mg/L in controls. Urine microalbumin was very significantly increased in cases than in controls (p < 0.001). S. Mg was decreased in cases with microalbuminuria (1.63 ± 0.14 mg/dL) but was not significant statistically (p > 0.05). Serum magnesium and microalbumin were found to be negatively correlated among cases but was not significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Serum Magnesium was found to be negatively correlated with Urine Microalbumin but no statistical significance was observed.
