Magnesium deficiency in heart failure patients with diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE To assess the serum magnesium level in heart failure patients with diabetes mellitus. METHODS A case-control study was conducted at Basic Medical Sciences Institute (BMSI), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, in collaboration with National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi, from April 2003 to December 2003. The study included 45 diagnosed cases of heart failure with diabetes mellitus, between the age group 35-65 years. Serum magnesium and glucose levels were estimated and compared by using the student "t" test and p value (<0.01, <0.05, <0.001) were used to analyze the statistical significance. RESULTS Out of 45 cases of heart failure, 15 were diabetic. Of these, eleven (73.3%) had low serum magnesium (<1.8 mg/dl), one (6.7%) was within normal range (1.8-2.0 mg/dl) and three (20%) were in the high level range(>2.0 mg/dl). CONCLUSION The study showed low serum magnesium level in heart failure patients with diabetes mellitus.