Background: Serum magnesium is associated with anemia. But the roles of magnesium in anemia and erythropoietin (EPO) responsiveness remain not well knwon in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.
Objective: to study the level of serum magnesium and its relationship with EPO responsiveness in MHD patients.
Patients and methods: This study was done in hemodialysis unit at Bab El-Shaareya University Hospital, during the period of January 2020 to June 2020. A total of 60 regular hemodialysis (RHD) patients were recruited for this survey. Their anthropometrics and laboratory data were collected. EPO responsiveness was evaluated by the erythropoietin resistance index (ERI). The patients were divided into 2 groups according to EPO resistance Index (ERI) Group A, the patients with higher ERI than 1.52, and group B with lower ERI than 1.52. Multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to evaluate the factors that may be associated with EPO responsiveness.
Results: The mean serum magnesium level was higher than normal levels in RHD patients, while nearly no hypomagnesemia was observed. A multivariate logistic regression model revealed that lower serum magnesium levels were correlated with a high ERI. The OR of a high ERI was found to be 2.89 (93% CI 1.197–4.715, p = 0.005) for group A and 1.57 (94% CI 0.779––2.941, p > 0.05) for group.
Conclusion: Serum magnesium levels were found to be higher than normal levels in RHD patients. A high serum magnesium level was shown to be correlated with good EPO responsiveness and it has a protective role from EPO hyporesponsiveness.