Association of hypomagnesemia with diabetic retinopathy

Serum magnesium was measured in 100 patients of type II diabetes mellitus (40 without retinopathy, 40 with non-proliferative and 20 with proliferative retinopathy) without malnutrition, hepatic or renal disease or albuminuria and in 100 age and sex matched controls. The serum magnesium levels were lower in diabetics than in controls (P less than 0.001), and the levels in diabetics with non-proliferative and proliferative retinopathy were significantly lower than in those without retinopathy (P less than 0.001). These data seem to point towards an association between hypomagnesemia and diabetic retinopathy.