Evaluation of Serum Magnesium Level Among Patients with Essential Hypertension in Erbil-Iraq

Salam Naser Zangana,Suhad Ali Khazaal

doi:10.26505/djm.20025781115

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular diseases with an ongoing global increase in incidence. Low Magnesium may play a critical role in cardiovascular physiology. Although many reports have mentioned the correlation between low serum magnesium levels and hypertension, the results were conflicting. Objective: To measure the levels of serum magnesium in hypertensive patients, and to evaluate the prevalence of hypomagnesemia among them. Patients and Methods: A case-control study from June 2019 to December 2019 was carried out in Rizgary Teaching Hospital and Nawroz Health Center involving 100 adult patients with essential hypertension (group I ) and 100 normotensive age and gender-matched controls ( group II). The serum magnesium level was measured in all participants. Results: Females constitute 64 % of both study groups. The means of the age of both study groups show no significant difference (p=0.82). Although the means of Mg level in hypertensive and control groups were within the normal range, it was significantly lower in hypertensive patients (p=0.004). Besides, 4 hypertensive patients (4%) had hypomagnesemia compared with zero in controls (p=0.043). Conclusion: There was a significantly lower mean magnesium level in hypertensives compared to controls. A relationship was assumed between serum magnesium level and hypertension. However; hypomagnesemia was not common in hypertensive patients.

Highlights

Magnesium (Mg) is the second most common intracellular cation in the human body [1]
The means of Mg level in hypertensive and control groups were within the normal range, it was significantly lower in hypertensive patients (p=0.004).In addition, four hypertensive patients (4%) had hypomagnesemia compared to 0% in the control group and it was statistically significant (p= 0.043)
; this study suggests a relationship between serum magnesium levels and blood pressure in hypertensive patients.This result is in agreement with other old studies like the Uza [19] and Ma et al studies [20], as well as more recent studies done by Kanwar et al [10], Shaikh et al [21] and Champagne et al [22]

Summary

Introduction

Magnesium (Mg) is the second most common intracellular cation in the human body [1]. Total body Mg is about 25 g, 60% of it is in the bones, 39% is intracellular (20% in skeletal muscle), and only 1% is in the extracellular fluid [2]. Mg may play a pivotal role in BP regulation by many mechanisms. It can stimulate prostacyclin and nitric oxide formation [4], adjusting vasodilation [5, 6], decreasing vascular tone [7], and it can prohibit vascular injury through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions [8, 9]. Objective: To measure the levels of serum magnesium in hypertensive patients, and to evaluate the prevalence of hypomagnesemia among them. The means of Mg level in hypertensive and control groups were within the normal range, it was significantly lower in hypertensive patients (p=0.004). Conclusion: There was a significantly lower mean magnesium level in hypertensives compared to controls.

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion