An investigation of hypomagnesemia among ambulatory urban African Americans.
BACKGROUND
Magnesium represents the fourth most abundant cation in the body and plays an integral role in intracellular metabolism. Although magnesium deficiency states have been associated with a variety of medical conditions, the prevalence of hypomagnesemia has not been well studied, particularly in ambulatory settings.


METHODS
We performed a period prevalence study using 120 patients seen for routine medical care at an urban family medicine center. Chart reviews were completed for these subjects. We used univariate and multivariate analyses to correlate magnesium levels with demographic and clinical factors.


RESULTS
There was a 20% overall prevalence of hypomagnesemia among this predominantly female, African American population. The prevalence of hypomagnesemia was greatest among patients with a history of alcoholism (odds ratio [OR] = 6.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41-26.1) and among those having 1 or more of the following medical conditions: diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, renal disease, and asthma (OR = 4.69; 95% CI, 1.37-17.65).


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of hypomagnesemia among patients from this urban minority community exceeds that reported in previous studies of the general population. This may be reflective of greater comorbidity, diminished nutritional status, or poorer overall health among patients from this community. The association between hyperlipidemia and magnesium deficiency warrants further investigation.
Fox
C H
CH
Deaconess Family Medicine Center, Buffalo, New York 14208-2221, USA.
Ramsoomair
D
D
Mahoney
M C
MC
Carter
C
C
Young
B
B
Graham
R
R
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood*; D008275:Magnesium Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D010045:Outpatients; D015995:Prevalence; D014505:Urban Population
D008274:Magnesium