Hypomagnesemia, a Risk Factor in Diabetic Retinopathy

The serum magnesium concentration was measured in 71 insulin-treated diabetic outpatients who had had the disease for 10 to 20 years. The patients were divided into two subgroups according to the severity of their retinopathy. As a whole the patients exhibited a definite hypomagnesemia (P < 0.001) that was most pronounced in the subgroup having the severest degree of retinopathy (P < 0.01). The subgroups were comparable regarding known risk factors implicated in diabetic retinopathy. Thus, hypomagnesemia appears to be an additional risk factor in the development and progress of this complication.