Serum Magnesium Level According To Severity of Hepatic Encephalopathy among Chronic Liver Disease Patients

Abstract

Objective: To determine the mean serum magnesium levels in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and its association with severity of hepatic encephalopathy (HE).

Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted over six months, from October 2, 2020, to April 1, 2021, in Medicine department of Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad/Jamshoro. A total of 65 known cases of chronic liver disease with hepatic encephalopathy, of various ages and both genders, were included in the study. Serum magnesium levels were measured, and their association with grades of hepatic encephalopathy was analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Data entry and analysis were performed using SPSS version 21.

Results: Mean serum magnesium level for the entire sample was 1.10?±?0.51 mg/dL. Most participants (37%) were between 40 and 59 years of age and males were predominant, 61.5%. Most of the patients had moderate to severe hepatic encephalopathy, with Grade III (35.4%) being the most common, followed by Grade IV (26.2%). Hypomagnesemia was identified in 67.9% of the patients. No difference was observed in magnesium levels between patients with mild (Grade I-II) and severe (Grade III-IV) hepatic encephalopathy, as both groups had the same average level of 1.10 mg/dL (p > 0.99). Additionally, there was no significant impact of age, gender, or duration of disease on magnesium levels among CLD patients (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Hypomagnesemia was observed to be highly prevalent (67.9%) among patients of CLD, with no significant difference in serum magnesium levels across different grades of hepatic encephalopathy.