Ionized Magnesium in Danish Children With Type 1 Diabetes

It is well known that type 1 diabetes is associated with magnesium deficiency (1), which may be followed by vascular complications (2–5). As a consequence, magnesium supplementation has been advocated to diabetic patients to minimize the risk of serious complications (6–8). The magnitude of hypomagnesemia in diabetic subjects is, however, difficult to establish because most studies have reported changes in total magnesium (i.e., ionized magnesium bound to albumin and other ligands), whereas only sparse information is available regarding ionized ion (9–11). Recently, a new electrode has been available for the measurement of ionized magnesium (12,13). The aim of the present investigation was to test the hypothesis that the level of ionized magnesium was lower in diabetic children and related to poor glycemic control. In total, 81 children with type 1 diabetes were included prospectively from September 1999 to May 2000. Inclusion criteria were age <18 years, duration of diabetes <3 months, and an equal distribution in the age-groups: 0–5, 6–11, and 12–17 years. All children were treated with diet and one to three daily injections of short- and intermediate-acting insulin. Exclusion criteria were …