Serum magnesium levels among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients attending the diabetes out-patient clinic in Kenyatta National Hospital

Abstract

Background: Magnesium plays a key role in many body cell processes. There is an established association between hypomagnesaemia, poor glycaemic control and diabetes complications. Hypomagnesemia in critically ill diabetic patients is associated with high mortality. Oral magnesium supplementation restores magnesium levels, improves insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control; hence slowing the progression to diabetes-related complications. Objective of the Study: To determine the serum magnesium levels in patients with type 2 diabetes at the Kenyatta National Hospital. To correlate serum magnesium levels with: glycaemic control, renal function reserve and clinical characteristics. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done on type 2 diabetes patients attending the KNH Diabetes Out-Patient Clinic between August and September 2016. Consecutive sampling was used to recruit 190 study participants. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. For continuous variables, histograms were plot; means (SD) or medians (IQR) reported. For categorical variables, bar / pie-charts were plot; frequencies and proportions were reported. Results: The prevalence of hypomagnesemia was 12.1%. The average duration of diabetes was 11.5 years. Only 21.6% participants had good glycaemic control and 37.4% had Stage 3 CKD and beyond. Hypomagnesemia was significantly correlated with gender, HbA1c, mean duration of diabetes and diuretic use (p<0.05). Conclusion: Although the prevalence recorded appears to be low compared to studies done in other regions, there is still a significant burden of hypomagnesemia among our diabetic patients.