Intra-erythrocytes magnesium deficiency could reflect cognitive impairment status due to vascular disease: a pilot study
- PDF / 699,470 Bytes
- 5 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 86 Downloads / 200 Views
Journal of Translational Medicine Open Access
RESEARCH
Intra‑erythrocytes magnesium deficiency could reflect cognitive impairment status due to vascular disease: a pilot study Clementina Sitzia1, Michele Sterlicchio2, Calogero Crapanzano3, Elena Dozio1, Elena Vianello1 and Massimiliano Marco Corsi Romanelli1,4*
Abstract Background and aims: Magnesium is a fundamental cation that regulates neuronal transmission, protein synthesis, energy metabolism. Magnesium deficiency mostly affects nervous and cardiovascular systems determining weakness, tremors, seizure and arrhythmias. This condition retains also a role in memory function and neuronal plasticity. Importantly magnesium deficiency could remain latent and asymptomatic resulting a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In this sense we aim to determine magnesium status in patient presenting cognitive impairment of vascular origin. Methods: 21 healthy subjects and 27 patients presenting vascular cognitive impairment were included in this study. Both plasma and intraerythrocitary magnesium level were measured to detect magnesium deficiency and cognitive performance was evaluated trough Mini Mental State Evaluation (MMSE). Results: Here we showed that patients presenting vascular cognitive impairment present intraerythrocitary magnesium level lower than age-matched healthy subjects. To note their plasma magnesium resulted within reference limit. Conclusion: We suggest that intracellular magnesium laboratory measurement is needed to detect occult magnesium deficiency in population at risk. Magnesium supplementation could represent an adjuvant for healthy aging in high risk population. Keywords: Magnesium deficiency, Intra-erythrocytary measurement, Vascular cognitive impairment Background Magnesium is a fundamental cation involved as a cofactor in many different enzymatic reactions that regulate energy metabolism and protein synthesis [1]. Magnesium is the second most abundant intracellular cation suggesting that its deficiency could impair different apparatus. In particular, symptoms of magnesium deficiency involve mostly neuromuscular and central nervous systems determining weakness, tremors, depression, psychosis and seizure. Other manifestations include ECG *Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Luigi Mangiagalli, 31 ‑20133 Milan, Italy Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
alteration, arrhythmias and metabolism disorders such as hypokalaemia and hypocalcaemia [1]. However, chronic hypomagnesaemia could result asymptomatic or cause aspecific symptoms so that laboratory testing represents a fundamental tool to reach the diagnosis. Hypomagnesaemia is considered to be a risk factor in a multitude of pathologies like atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus [2, 3]. Magnesium is also correlated to mortality in cardiovascular patients with an unknown mechanism [4]. Indeed, occult hypomagnesemia has been reported in aged people and in neurodeg
Data Loading...
