Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Hypomagnesemia in Ischemic Stroke Patients: A Single-Center Study From a Tertiary Care Center in Pakistan

TL;DR

This study found that nearly half of ischemic stroke patients in Pakistan had low magnesium levels, with hypertension being a strong risk factor.

Contribution

The study provides new data on hypomagnesemia prevalence in ischemic stroke patients from South Asia.

Findings

Hypomagnesemia was present in 48.9% of ischemic stroke patients.

Hypertension was strongly associated with hypomagnesemia in stroke patients.

Smokers had a lower prevalence of hypomagnesemia compared to non-smokers.

Abstract

Background: Hypomagnesemia has been linked to stroke development through its effects on blood vessel function and nerve cell excitability, but data from South Asia are limited. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypomagnesemia in patients with acute ischemic stroke and its associated risk factors at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.

Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design, conducted from November 2020 to June 2021, and enrolled 137 consecutive stroke patients. Hypomagnesemia was defined as serum magnesium levels less than 1.82 mg/dL. SPSS software v24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used to analyze the association between hypomagnesemia and various demographic and clinical factors.

Results: Hypomagnesemia was found to be present in 48.9% of ischemic stroke patients. The most common associated comorbidities were hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The study discovered a strong correlation between hypertension and stroke, and 61.1% of the hypertensive patients with stroke had hypomagnesemia. Hypomagnesemia was found in 18.5% of smokers compared to 56.4% of non-smokers, indicating an inverse connection with smoking. The prevalence of hypomagnesemia was similar in males and females and across age groups.

Conclusion: Hypomagnesemia was present in nearly half of the patients with acute ischemic stroke, and hypertension was a strong predictor. Further study is warranted for the lower prevalence of hypomagnesemia among smokers. Secondary strokes may be prevented in high-risk individuals by routine magnesium screening and supplementation.