Relation between severity of magnesium deficiency and frequency of anginal attacks in men with variant angina

First Department of Internal Medicine, Fukui Medical School, Japan.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated whether the severity of magnesium deficiency was correlated with the frequency of attacks of variant angina. BACKGROUND: Magnesium deficiency may be associated with the development of variant angina. However, the relation between the activity of variant angina and magnesium deficiency remains to be elucidated. METHODS: We assessed the body magnesium status of 18 men with variant angina: Group 1 (> or = 4 attacks/week, n = 7) and Group 2 (< 4 attacks/week, n = 11). Concentrations of magnesium were determined in serum, urine, mononuclear cells and erythrocytes, and the 24-h magnesium retention rate was determined. RESULTS: Group 1 showed a higher 24-h magnesium retention rate (mean +/- SEM 63.5 +/- 7.6% vs. 24.9 +/- 2.7%, p < 0.01) and a lower intracellular concentration of magnesium in mononuclear cells and erythrocytes than did Group 2 (respectively, 156.3 +/- 13.5 vs. 212.1 +/- 6.9 fg/cell, p < 0.01; and 3.5 +/- 0.5 vs. 5.2 +/- 0.4 fg/cell, p < 0.05), demonstrating the presence of magnesium deficiency in Group 1. The 24-h magnesium retention rate and intracellular concentrations of magnesium in mononuclear cells and erythrocytes correlated well with the frequency of anginal attacks (r = 0.78, p < 0.01; r = -0.78, p < 0.01; r = -0.62, p < 0.01, respectively) for all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that the magnesium status of men with variant angina is closely related to disease activity.

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				H. Teragawa, M. Kato, T. Yamagata, H. Matsuura, and G. Kajiyama The Preventive Effect of Magnesium on Coronary Spasm in Patients With Vasospastic Angina Chest, December 1, 2000; 118(6): 1690 - 1695. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]