Evaluation of Serum Magnesium Level Among Patients with Essential Hypertension in Erbil-Iraq

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular diseases with an ongoing global increase in incidence. Low Magnesium may play a critical role in cardiovascular physiology. Although many reports have mentioned the correlation between low serum magnesium levels and hypertension, the results were conflicting.

Objective: To measure the levels of serum magnesium in hypertensive patients, and to evaluate the prevalence of hypomagnesemia among them.

Patients and Methods: A case-control study from June 2019 to December 2019 was carried out in Rizgary Teaching Hospital and Nawroz Health Center involving 100 adult patients with essential hypertension (group I ) and 100 normotensive age and gender-matched controls ( group II). The serum magnesium level was measured in all participants.

Results: Females constitute 64 % of both study groups. The means of the age of both study groups show no significant difference (p=0.82). Although the means of Mg level in hypertensive and control groups were within the normal range, it was significantly lower in hypertensive patients (p=0.004). Besides, 4 hypertensive patients (4%) had hypomagnesemia compared with zero in controls (p=0.043).

Conclusion: There was a significantly lower mean magnesium level in hypertensives compared to controls. A relationship was assumed between serum magnesium level and hypertension. However; hypomagnesemia was not common in hypertensive patients.