Study of Serum Magnesium, Potassium and their Correlation with Lipid Profile in Ischaemic Heart Disease

Introduction: Ischaemic Heart Disease (IHD) is a common health burden. Dyslipidemia is an established risk factor for the disease. Studies have been conducted to evaluate any possible relation of the disease with alterations of magnesium and potassium. But, among patients of Eastern India, studies to associate the condition with these analytes as well as their possible relationship with serum lipid profile have been rare. Aim: To evaluate the non diabetic, normotensive IHD patients attending a tertiary care hospital to find out whether there was any association of the disease with altered serum magnesium and potassium and to detect possible correlation of these electrolytes with serum lipid levels. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted in the Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine of the Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, from January 2019 to June 2020. This study included 106 non diabetic, normotensive IHD cases {encompassing 52 Chronic Coronary Syndrome (CCS) and 54 Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) patients} along with 103 age and sex-matched healthy controls. Serum magnesium, potassium and lipid profiles were assessed. Student’s unpaired t-test and Pearson correlation tests were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 software. Results: The case and control groups were comparable for age and gender distribution as no statistically significant difference was found. The cases had a significantly lower serum magnesium and potassium (p<0.001 in each case) than the controls. There were significant positive correlations between serum Magnesium (Mg) and Potassium (K) (r=0.498, p<0.001) while significant negative correlations (r=-0.204, p=0.036) were established between magnesium and low density lipoprotein cholesterol of the cases. Conclusion: Low levels of serum magnesium and potassium are associated with coronary heart disease. Patients with deranged lipid profile should be regularly screened for deficiencies in serum magnesium. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to establish potential therapeutic role of supplementation of magnesium and potassium in IHD.