26 Continental J. Tropical Medicine 2: 26 - 30, 2008. © Wilolud Online Journals, 2008. SERA MAGNESIUM IN COMPLICATED AND UNCOMPLICATED TYPE 2 DIABECTICS IN OSOGBO, NIGERIA. Osadolor, H.B. 1 Olaniyan, O.O. 2 Adedokun S.A 3 . Alabi T.T 3 1 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health sciences, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State. 2 Chemical Pathology Department, State Specialist Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State. 3 Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, LAUTECH, Osogbo, Osun State. ABSTRACT Perturbations in magnesium have been observed in relation to human diseases, and in so many countries, magnesium depletion have been found to have a negative impact on glucose homeostasis, and insulin sensitivity as well as on the development of complications in type 2 diabetic patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare serum magnesium concentration of type 2 diabetics and healthy controls in Osogbo, Nigeria. Serum Magnesium concentrations were determined in sera of 53 type 2 diabetics (25 with vascular and 28 without vascular complications) and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric technique. Mean (±SD) sera magnesium concentrations of the diabetics (0.75±0.14) were found not to be significantly lowered. No significant difference (p>0.05) was also observed between the magnesium level of both complicated and uncomplicated groups of type 2 diabetes when compared to healthy individuals. However, an inverse correlation was observed between the fasting plasma glucose of the diabetes and the element under study. Therefore low sera magnesium concentrations and poor magnesium status are not common in type 2 diabetics in Osogbo Nigeria. KEYWORDS: Type 2, Diabetes Mellitus, Magnesium, Complicated, Uncomplicated INTRODUCTION Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an endrocrinological disease (Evliyaoglu et al., 2004) of carbohydrates metabolism that is characterized by hyperglycemia and glycosuria resulting from dysfunction of pancreatic beta cells and insulin resistance (Khan and Safder, 2003). Many factors like hereditary, age, obesity, diet, sex, hypertension sedentary lifestyles, socio-economic-status and various stresses have been implicated in the etiology of diabetes mellitus. About 170 million people are being afflicted worldwide with the disease and it’s expected to be more than double by 2010 (McCarthy and Zimmet, 1997). About 1-7% of the whole Nigerian populace is having the disease, with over 90% of these being type 2 DM (Fabiyi et al., 2002) and the prevalence rate among high, and low socio-economic groups of a small Nigerian population was as high as 23.4% band 16% respectively while, 18.9% of the same populace were unaware of their diabetic problem (Nwarfor and Owohoji, 2001). Direct association of trace elements and macro elements with DM has been observed in many research studies (Nourmohammadi et al., 2000). Insulin action has been reported to be potentated by some trace elements (Candilish, 2000), especially magnesium (Mg) which is a cofactor in the glucose transporting mechanism of the cell membrane and various enzymes in carbohydrate oxidation (Laughlin and Thompson, 1996). Mg is also involved at multiple levels in insulin secretion and binding and also enhances the ability of insulin to activate tyrosine kinase (Sur ez, 1993). Therefore Mg depletion has been postulated to have a negative impact on glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 DM (Nadler et al., 1993), as well as on the evolution of complications such as retinopathy, thrombosis and hypertension (Walti et al., 2003).