Modification of Total Magnesium level in pregnant Saudi Women developing gestational diabetes mellitus

The aim of our study is to measure total Magnesium in pregnant women screened for GDM and to compare total magnesium between whom were diagnosed having GDM and those having normal pregnancy.

Our study is a prospective study involved 99 pregnant women referred to Maternity and Child Hospital Al Ahsa (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) for 100g Oral Glucose Tolerance test. All included pregnant women were in their 24-28 weeks of gestation with free past medical history and were free for any medicine. A 100-g Oral Glucose Tolerance (OGTT) with total plasma magnesium measurement were done to all included women. All patient were followed tell delivery.

Among 99 patients enrolled in our study, GDM was diagnosed in 19 patients (19.2%). Fifteen patients have normal fasting glycaemia and were diagnosed having GDM on 100-g OGTT. Four patients have fasting glycaemia more than 126mg/dl (7mmol/l) confirming the diagnosis of GDM. Hypomagnesemia was confirmed in eight patients (8.08%). no one of them had GDM. The serum magnesium concentration in GDM women was lower that of normal pregnant women but the difference was not significant. (0.89±0.1 vs 0.92±0.2mmol/l, p=0.51). BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were not significantly different between the pregnant women who developed or not gestational diabetes.

In our study, the development of GDM cannot be explained by low total serum magnesium. The low total serum magnesium in patient diagnosed having GDM compared to whom free of GDM and the importance of magnesium in the genesis of insulin resistance should encourage more large trial to explain the exact role of magnesium in the pathophysiology of GDM.