Frequency of hypomagnemsemia in neonate with hypocalcemic seizures presenting to a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of hypomagnesemia in neonate with hypocalcemic seizures presenting to a tertiary care hospital. Study Design: Cross-sectional Descriptive Study. Setting: Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Hospital in Sukkur. Period: 1^st May 2022 to 31^st October 2022. Material & Methods: The research involved a group of 157 infants who had experienced seizures due to low calcium levels. A proficient phlebotomist with over two years of experience drew a 3cc venous blood sample from each participant, which was subsequently sent to the hospital laboratory for analysis. The serum magnesium levels were determined, and hypomagnesemia was defined as a magnesium level below 1.7mg/dl. These findings were meticulously documented in the attached annexure proforma. Results: A total of 157 infants presented with hypocalcemic seizures were included in this study. The average age of the infants was 6.31±4.62 days. Frequency of hypomagnesemia in neonate with hypocalcemic seizures was 28.9% (44/157) infants. The data indicates that exclusively breastfed neonates have the highest prevalence of hypomagnesaemia at 41%, while those exclusively formula fed have the lowest at 22.2%. However, the p-value of 0.110 suggests that these differences are not statistically significant, indicating that feeding status may not be a major contributor to hypomagnesaemia in neonates. The prevalence of hypomagnesaemia is higher in the 6.6-7 mg/dl range (31.7%) compared to the 5-6.5 mg/dl range (25.5%). Conclusion: In our research, the occurrence of low magnesium levels in newborns experiencing seizures due to low calcium levels is more prevalent among infants. This typically indicates the presence of both vitamin D deficiency and hypomagnesemia simultaneously, and can be effectively addressed with short-term therapy. Newborns who have seizures and are diagnosed with low calcium levels are unlikely to gain any advantages from neuroimaging assessments.