In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: any Link between Diabetic Retinopathy and Magnesium?

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Diabetes and Endocrinology unit internal medicine department faculty of medicine Ain-Shams University

2 Department of Ophthalmology

10.21608/asmj.2025.371559.1424

Abstract

Background: Diabetic retinopathy imposes a significant health burden. Recent studies suggest a relation between Magnesium and Diabetic retinopathy.
Aim: In type 2 diabetic patients we aimed to evaluate if there is an association between magnesium and diabetic retinopathy.
Methods: We conducted the study on 180 participants who included sixty patients with type 2 diabetes but no diabetic retinopathy, sixty type 2 diabetics having diabetic retinopathy & sixty healthy subjects. All participants were aged above 18. We excluded patients with renal insufficiency, malabsorption, diarrhea and those taking medications that affect magnesium levels. Subjects with chronic alcoholism and pregnant women were also excluded. The levels of Magnesium together with HbA1C, Fasting and 2 hours post prandial plasma glucose, serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate, full lipid profile and albumin/Creatinine ratio were determined in all participants who also a fundus examination performed. We used post hoc analysis to compare magnesium levels between the 3 groups. We used ROC-curve to determine the optimum level of Magnesium as risk factor for diabetic retinopathy. Multivariate analysis was performed to define the independent predictors that affect retinopathy.
Results: Serum magnesium was lower significantly in diabetic retinopathy with a positive predictive value 80 % when less than 1.5 mg/dl, with specificity 88.33% and sensitivity 46.67%. Magnesium was independently linked to retinopathy in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 after accounting for other confounders.
Conclusion: There is a link between magnesium and diabetic retinopathy.

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Ain Shams Medical Journal
Volume 76, Issue 3
September 2025
Pages 674-681

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