Background and objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a leading cause of death and disability world wide. Magnesium acts as a cofactor in glucose metabolism and its decreased level causes insulin resistance and many complications in diabetic patients. The present study evaluated the correlation of serum magnesium with HbA1c in DM patients.

Materials and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka from July 2016 to June 2017. A total number of 100 individuals with and without diabetes mellitus were included in the study. HbA1c was measured by high performance liquid chromatography and estimation of serum magnesium was done by automatic biochemistry analyzer.

Results: Out of 100 enrolled participants, 50 were diagnosed patients of DM (Group-A) and 50 were age and sex matched apparently healthy individuals (Group-B). The mean age of Group-A and B individuals was 50.5 ± 6.0 and 50.4 ± 5.1 years respectively. Group-A had significantly (p < 0.001) lower serum magnesium concentration compared to Group-B (1.5 ± 0.6 mg/dl vs 2.3 ± 0.5 mg/dl). Serum magnesium levels showed significant negative correlations with HbA1c (r = -0.511, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: DM patients showed significant negative correlation of serum magnesium with HbA1c level. Routine screening for serum magnesium status would be helpful for the better management of diabetic cases.

IMC J Med Sci. 2023. 17(1): 005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.17.005

*Correspondence: Farzana  Ahmed, Department of Biochemistry, Ibrahim Medical College, 1/A Ibrahim Sarani, Shegunbagicha, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Email: [email protected]