(1) Background: Magnesium deficiency is usually associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Individuals living with T2DM with hypomagnesemia show a more rapid disease progression and have an increased risk for diabetes complications. (2) Methods: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study in the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology of Tunis in Tunisia, including all adult outpatients (≥18 years old) with a diagnosis of T2DM from 1 September 2018 to 31 August 2019. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of plasmatic magnesium deficiency in a Tunisian population of T2DM and to study the relationship between magnesium status and intake, glycemic control and long-term diabetes-related complications. (3) Results: Among the 101 T2DM outpatients, 13 (12.9%) presented with a plasmatic magnesium deficiency. The mean age was 56 ± 7.9 years with a female predominance (62%, n = 63). The mean of the plasmatic magnesium level was 0.79 ± 0.11 mmol/L (0.5–1.1), and the mean of 24 h urinary magnesium excretion was 87.8 ± 53.8 mg/24 h [4.8–486.2]. HbA1c was significantly higher in the plasmatic magnesium deficiency group than the normal magnesium status group (10% ± 1.3 vs. 8.3% ± 1.9; p = 0.04), with a significant difference in participants with a poor glycemic control (HbA1c > 7%) (100%, n = 13/13 vs. 53%, n = 47/88; p = 0.001). A weak negative relationship was also found between plasmatic magnesium and HbA1c (r = −0.2, p = 0.03). Peripheral artery disease was more commonly described in individuals with low plasmatic magnesium levels than in individuals with normal levels (39%, n = 5 vs. 0%, n = 0; p < 0.001). The mean plasmatic magnesium level in participants without diabetic nephropathy and also peripheral artery disease was significantly higher compared to individuals with each long-term diabetes-related complication (0.8 mmol/L ± 0.1 vs. 0.71 mmol/L ± 0.07; p = 0.006) and (0.8 mmol/L ± 0.1 vs. 0.6 mmol/L ± 0.08; p < 0.001), respectively. (4) Conclusions: Hypomagnesemia was identified in individuals with T2DM, causing poor glycemic control and contributing to the development and progression of diabetes-related microvascular and macrovascular complications.
The nutritional status of old hemodialysis patients determines their prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the spontaneous dietary intake of hemodialysis of elderly patients. This cross-sectional descriptive study included 40 elderly hemodialysis patients recruited at the M8 nephrology department of Charles Nicolle hospital in Tunis. All patients went through a clinical examination to specify anthropometric measurements and a dietary survey based on food registration for 3 consecutive days to obtain a nutritional assessment. The evaluation of patients' energy intake showed an average daily intake of 25.3±12.3kcal/kg of ideal weight/day. The average total energy intake of patients on dialysis and non-dialysis days was 29.7±17.7kcal/kg and 20.9±6.9kcal/kg, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (P=0.001). The average daily protein intake was 0.99±0.57g/kg on the day of no dialysis. It decreased statistically significantly (P=0.005) on the day of no dialysis at 0.73±0.28g/kg. Phosphorus consumption was excessive on dialysis and non-dialysis days respectively in 20% and 3% of cases. Deficiency of calcium intake affected the entire population studied on the day of non-dialysis. Only 6% of patients had a calcium intake satisfactory on the day of dialysis. A lot of dietary errors were noticed in our study. The assessment of nutritional intake in elderly people with hemodialysis should be part of their management systematically.