Survey of Serum Levels of Magnesium in Type 2 Diabetics Attending Clinics in Bayelsa State

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the serum magnesium levels in Type 11 diabetics attending clinics in Bayelsa state. A randomized, cross sectional study was adopted with 50 healthy non diabetic subjects, mainly blood donors (mean aged 48.88±1.46) as control group and 100 diabetics attending clinics in Bayelsa state (mean aged 49.42±2.42) as study group. Blood samples were obtained after at least 8 hours of fasting in plain tubes and serum glucose levels were determined by glucose oxidase method and serum magnesium using xylidyl blue reagent. Height and weight were measured using a tapeline to the nearest 0.5cm and a bath scale to the nearest 0.1kg respectively. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight (kg)/height (m)² . Statistical analyses were conducted using graph prism pad 5.0 statistical software versions and Microsoft excel 2003. Mean serum magnesium value among diabetics was 1.18± 0.06mmol/l and 0.7± 0.06mmol/l among controls (p <0.05). Magnesium values were  statistically significant between sexes (p<0.05) in both diabetics and non-diabetics. The study established that hypomagnesaemia was not found in the diabetics attending clinic in Yenagoa.  Therefore we recommend that serum magnesium levels be determined in diabetics attending clinic periodically as symptoms may occur long before it can be established in the laboratory.

Keywords: type 2 diabetes, serum magnesium, fasting blood sugar (FBS), body mass index (BMI).