EXTRACELLULAR MAGNESIUM DEPLETION IN PEDIATRIC-PATIENTS WITH INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS

It is unclear whether insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is a state o f magnesium depletion. This is a relevant question, since magnesium de ficiency has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diseases that deve lop to an increased extent into diabetes mellitus. Total plasma magnes ium was not statistically different in 76 pediatric patients with insu lin-dependent diabetes mellitus (0.77 [0.73-0.81] mmol/l; median and i nterquartile range), 59 healthy adults (0.80 [0.77-0.83] mmol/l) and 1 9 healthy children (0.80 [0.78-0.83] mmol/l). In contrast, plasma ioni zed magnesium, the most interesting form with respect to physiological and biological properties, was significantly lower in diabetic patien ts (0.50 [0.48-0.53] mmol/l) when compared with healthy adults (0.53 [ 0.50-0.56] mmol/l; p < 0.01) and healthy children (0.54 [0.51-0.56] mm ol/l; p < 0.02). Our report confirms recent findings of reduced circul ating ionized magnesium but normal circulating total magnesium in adul ts with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.