Vascular Diseases and Ionized Magnesium

Abstract

Use of ion-selective electrodes (ISE’s) for IMg2+ on plasma, whole blood and sera from patients with a variety of cardiovascular disease syndromes (e.g., hypertension, myocardial infarction, diabetes, long-term renal transplants, liver transplants, during and before cardiac surgery, ischemic heart disease [IHD], non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM), end-stage renal disease [ESRD], peritoneal [HEM] and continuous ambulatory dialysis (CAPD), and stroke syndromes), has revealed interesting data. The results indicate that these vascular disease syndromes are associated with significant depression in serum IMg2+ but not TMg. 60–65% of patients early after acute myocardial infarction exhibit significant depression in serum IMg2+ levels associated with concomitant rises in CPK and CKMB enzyme levels; most patients with mild infarctions fail to exhibit significant depression in IMg2+. Use of 31P-NMR spectroscopy on red blood cells, from several of these disease states, to assess free intracellular Mg ([Mg2+]i), demonstrates a high correlation (r = 0.5-0.8) between IMg2+ and [Mg2+]i. Correlations between the clinical course of several of the above disease syndromes and the fall in IMg2+ and [Mg2+]i were found. The ICa2+/IMg2+ ratio appears, from our data, to be an important guide for signs of peripheral vasoconstriction, ischemia or spasm and possibly atherogenesis. Overall, our data point to important uses for ISE’s for IMg2+ in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular disease states.