Association between serum magnesium and risk factors of cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis patients.

Introduction: There are associations between serum magnesium level and some risk factors of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis, such as lipid profile, serum albumin, C-reactive protein, serum phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, and diabetes mellitus in hemodialysis patients. The aim of this study was to examine these associations.

Materials And Methods: This study was conducted on 103 patients with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis. Laboratory assessment was performed before hemodialysis session in a 12-hour fasting state. Patients were divided into two groups according to their serum magnesium concentration < 2.6 mg/dL, n = 34 and >= 2.6 mg/dL, n = 69).

Results: The mean age of the patients was 57.4 +/- 15.4 years. The mean serum magnesium was 2.80 +/- 0.55 mg/dL (range, 1.7 mg/dL to 7 mg/dL). There were no significant differences in serum magnesium between patients with low and high values of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood pressure. Of the 103 patients, 1 (1%) had hypomagnesemia, 41 (39.8%) had magnesium levels within normal range, and 61 (59.2%) had hypermagnesemia. Serum magnesium significantly correlated with plasma phosphorus level (r = 0.35, P < .001) and albumin (r = 0.24, P = .01). There were no correlations between serum magnesium level and age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure before dialysis, serum calcium, lipid profile, and apoprotein(a).

Conclusions: In our cohort of hemodialysis patients, there were no correlations between serum magnesium levels and atherogenic lipids, serum calcium, or parathyroid hormone.