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Magnesium-to-Calcium Ratio and Mortality from COVID-19

Fernando Guerrero-Romero1, Moises Mercado2, Martha Rodriguez-Moran1

  • 1Biomedical Research Unit, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Durango 34067, Mexico.

Nutrients
|May 14, 2022
PubMed

Insights

A low serum magnesium-to-calcium ratio (≤0.20) is linked to increased mortality in severe COVID-19 patients. This finding highlights the importance of monitoring magnesium and calcium levels in hospitalized COVID-19 individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Science
  • Clinical Medicine
  • Pathophysiology

Background:

  • Hypomagnesemia is associated with conditions prevalent in severe COVID-19, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, immune dysfunction, and cardiovascular complications.
  • Magnesium and calcium share common cellular transporters, suggesting a potential interplay in disease states.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between the serum magnesium-to-calcium ratio and mortality risk in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of clinical and laboratory data from 1064 hospitalized COVID-19 patients (March 2020-July 2021).
  • Comparison of demographic and clinical characteristics between patients who died and those who recovered.
  • Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine the optimal cut-off for the magnesium-to-calcium ratio.

Main Results:

  • A magnesium-to-calcium ratio ≤0.20 was identified as the optimal threshold for predicting high mortality risk (sensitivity 83%, specificity 24%).
  • The adjusted odds ratio for mortality associated with a magnesium-to-calcium ratio ≤0.20 was 6.93 in the overall cohort.
  • This association remained significant in men (OR 4.93) and women (OR 3.93).

Conclusions:

  • A serum magnesium-to-calcium ratio ≤0.20 is a significant predictor of mortality in severe COVID-19.
  • This ratio may serve as a valuable biomarker for risk stratification in COVID-19 patients.

Keywords:
COVID-19magnesium-to-calcium ratiomortality

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