Background: Magnesium is a necessary cofactor of several enzymes involved in glucose metabolism. Insulin resistance or deficiency may exacerbate renal magnesium wasting and hyperglycemia per se induces higher osmotic urinary excretion of magnesium. High prevalence of hypomagnesaemia in T2DM and its chronic complications have been reported in different studies. Hence this study was undertaken to know the incidence of hypomagnesaemia in T2DM patients and its chronic complications. 

Material and Methods: In consecutive 100 T2DM patients and 100 control healthy people, serum magnesium was estimated by Calmagite dye Caloric method at one time contact. Opthalmoscopy and 24 hours total urinary protein excretion was measured in T2DM patients. Data were collected and compared by Chi-square test and comparison of mean values were performed by unpaired student ‘t’ test. All statistical data were analysed by SPSS version 16 soft ware for windows.

Results: There was no significant difference in incidence of hypomagnesaemia with age and sex (p>0.05). Hypomagnesaemia was present in 66 (66%) T2DM patients and 8(8%) in healthy people. (p<0.05).  Serum magnesium levels were inversely related to FBS, 2hr PPBS and HbA1c levels (p<0.05). Total cholesterol, TG and LDL were inversely related to magnesium level and HDL was positively related (p<0.05). T2DM patients with hypomagnesaemia had higher incidence of proteinuria in 66(99.9%) and diabetic retinopathy 53(80.3%). (p <0.05).

Conclusion: Hypomagnesaemia was common in T2DM patients and its chronic complications.

Keywords: Hypomagnesaemia, T2DM, Glycemic status, Retinopathy, Albuminuria, Dyslipidimia.

1. Paolisso G, Scheen A, D’ Onfrio F, Lefebvre P. Magnesium and glucose. Diabetologia .1990; 33: 511-514.
2. Yajnik CS, Smith RF, Hockaday TD, Ward NI. Fasting plasma magnesium concentrations and glucose disposal in diabetes. BMJ. 1984; 288:1032-1034.
3. Mario Barbagallo, Ligia J, Dominguez L J. Magnesium and type 2 diabetes. An update. Diabetes and Cli Res.2015; Jan 22, 2:1-5.
4. Barbagallo M, Dominguez LJ, Galatto A, Ferlisi A,Cani C et al. Role of magnesium in insulin action, diabetes and cardiometabolic syndrome X. Mol Aspect Med.2003;24:39-52.
5. Madon B, Siga E, Chabardes D, Firsov D, Roenel N, De Rouffignac C. Insulin stimulates Na+,Cl-,Ca++,and Mg++ transport in TAL of mouse nephron. Cross potentiating with AVP .Am J Physiol.1993:F361-369.
6. Barbagallo M, Di Bella G, Brucato V,D Angelo, Domiano P, et al. Serum ionized magnesium in diabetes older person.Metabolism,2014;63:502-509.
7. Grubbs RD (2002) Intracellular magnesium and magnesium buffering. Biometals 15, 251-259.
8. Quamme GA. Renal handling of magnesium .I. Massry and Glossack’s text book of nepgrology.4th edn .Edited by Massry SH, Glossack RJ, Baltimore, Lipincott, Williams and Wilkins:2001;p-344-350.
9. Barbagallo M, Dominguez LJ. Magnesium metabolism in type 2diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Arch Biochem Biophys.2007; 458:40-47.
10. Sakaguichi Y, Shoji T, Hayashi T, Sujuki A, Shimizu M, Mitsumoto K, Tsubakihara Y. Hypomagnesaemia in type diabetes mellitus nephropathy; a novel predictor of end stage renal disease: Diabetes Care.2012, July; 1591-1597.
11. Pham PC, Pham SV, Miller JM, Pham PT. Hypomagnesaemia in patient with type 2 diabetes. Cli J Am Soc Nephrol.2007; 1:366-73.
12. Pramod P Rao, Mohmad Ghouse Shariff. Serum magnesium level in type 2 diabetes patients with microalbuminuria and normoalbuminuria. Int J Seintific study.July 2015; 3:4:11-15.
13. Arundhati Dasgupta, Dipti Sarma, UmaKaimulsaikia. Hypomagnesaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus.Indian J Endocr Metab.2012; 16:6.p-100-3.
14. Sjogren A, Floren CH, Nilsson A. Magnesium, potassium and zinc deficiency in subjects with type II diabetes mellitus. Acta Med Scand 1988; 224:461–6.
15. Nadler JL, Buchanan T, Natarajan R, Antonipillai I, Bergman R, Rude R. Magnesium deficiency produces insulin resistance and increased thromboxane synthesis. Hypertension 1993; 21: 1024-1029.
16. Shils ME (1998) Magnesium. In Modern nutrition in health & disease, pp. 169-192 [ME Shils, JEOlson, M Shike and AC Ross, editors]. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.
17. Mather HM, Nisbet JA, Burton GH, Poston GJ, Bland JM, Bailey PA, Pilkington TR. Hypomagnesaemia in Diabetes. Clin Chim Acta 1979; 95(2):235-24.
18. Rodriguez-Moran M & Guerrero-Romero F (2002) Low serum magnesium levels and foot ulcers in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Arch Med Res 32, 300-303.
19. Corica F, Allegra A, Di Benedetto A, Giacobbe MS, Romano G, Cucinotta D, et al. Effects of oral magnesium supplementation on plasma lipid concentrations in patients with non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Magnes-Res1994; 7:43-47.
20. Phuong-Chi T. Pham, Son V. Pham Jeffery M, Hypomagnesaemia in patients with Type 2 Diabetes, Clinical Journal of Nephrology2:366-373, 2007.
21. Berhane Seyoum, MD, MPH; Elias S. Siraj, MD, Hypomagnesaemia in Ethiopians with diabetes mellitus, Ethnicity & Disease, Volume18, Spring 2008.
22. Clinical Nephrology (2005), June; 63(6):429-436.
23. Corsenello A,Lentile R, Buei M, Cucinatto D, Mouro VN, Macaione S, Corcia F. Serum ionized magnesium levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus nephropathy;a novel predictor of end stage renal disease.Diabetes Care.2012,July;1591-1597.
24. Reinhart RA (1988) Magnesium metabolism. A review with special reference to the relationship between intracellular content and serum levels. Arch Intern Med 148, 2415-2420.
25. Diamon M,Susa S.Yamatani K, Manaka H. Hyperglycemia is a factor for increase in serum ceruloplasmin in type 2 diabetes, Diabetes care1998;21(9):1525-1528.
26. Sikaris K,The correlation of HbA1c to blood glucose, Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology2009;3(3):429-438.
27. Haenni A, Ohrvall M, Lithel H. Magnesium Homeostasis, Metabolism. 2001; 50:1147-51.
28. Nadler JL, Malayan S, Luong H, Shaw S, Natarajan RD & Rude RK (1992) Intracellular free magnesium deficiency plays a key role in increased platelet reactivity in type II diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care. 15, 835-841.
29. Nadler JL & Rude RK (1995) Disorders of magnesium metabolism. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am24, 623-641.
30. K. Chandie Shaw, L. A. van Es, L. C. Paul, F. R. Roosendaal, J. H. M. Souverijn, J. P. Vandenbroucke. Renal disease in relatives of Indo-Asian Type 2 diabetic patients with end-stage diabetic nephropathy. Diabetologia (2003) 46:618-624.
31. Lal J, Vasudev K, Kela AK, Jain SK .Effect of oral magnesium supplementation on the lipid profile and blood glucose of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. J Assoc Physicians India 2003; 51: 37-42.

Dr Butungeshwar Pradhan

Department of Medicine, VIMSAR, Burla, Sambalpur, Odisha, India

Mobile No.: 9437243697, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.