Association of magnesium abnormalities at intensive care unit admission with kidney outcomes and mortality: a prospective cohort study

Role of Magnesium in the Intensive Care Unit and Immunomodulation: A Literature Review

Both the role and the importance of magnesium in clinical practice have grown considerably in recent years. Emerging evidence suggests an association between loss of magnesium homeostasis and increased mortality in the critical care setting. The underlying mechanism is still unclear, but an increasing number of in vivo and in vitro studies on magnesium's immunomodulating capabilities may shed some light on the matter. This review aims to discuss the evidence behind magnesium homeostasis in critically ill patients, and its link with intensive care unit mortality via a likely magnesium-induced dysregulation of the immune response. The underlying pathogenetic mechanisms, and their implications for clinical outcomes, are discussed. The available evidence strongly supports the crucial role of magnesium in immune system regulation and inflammatory response. The loss of magnesium homeostasis has been associated with an elevated risk of bacterial infections, exacerbated sepsis progression, and detrimental effects on the cardiac, respiratory, neurological, and renal systems, ultimately leading to increased mortality. However, magnesium supplementation has been shown to be beneficial in these conditions, highlighting the importance of maintaining adequate magnesium levels in the intensive care setting.

Initial Serum Magnesium Level Is Associated with Mortality Risk in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

BACKGROUND

Electrolyte disorder is prevalent in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. This study is designed to explore the association between initial serum magnesium levels and mortality of TBI patients.

METHODS

TBI patients recorded in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-III database were screened for this study. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore risk factors for mortality of included TBI patients. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) was applied to fit the correlation between initial serum magnesium level and mortality of TBI.

RESULTS

The 30-day mortality of included TBI patients was 17.0%. Patients with first-tertile and third-tertile serum magnesium levels had higher mortality than those of the second tertile. Univariate regression analysis showed that the serum magnesium level was not associated with mortality. Unadjusted RCS indicated the relationship between serum magnesium level mortality was U-shaped. After adjusting confounding effects, multivariate regression analysis presented that serum magnesium level was positively associated with mortality.

CONCLUSION

TBI patients with abnormally low or high levels of serum magnesium both have a higher incidence of mortality. At the same time, a higher initial serum magnesium level is independently associated with mortality in TBI patients. Physicians should pay attention to the clinical management of TBI patients, especially those with higher serum magnesium levels.