Purpose: Population-based studies have revealed a high prevalence of cognitive impairment after stroke. We aimed to determine the impact of serum magnesium (Mg²⁺) levels on the occurrence of poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI).
Patients and methods: Acute ischemic stroke patients (n = 327) were enrolled in our study and serum Mg²⁺ levels were assessed on admission. The cognitive performance of each patient was evaluated using the Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE) at a 1-month follow-up visit.
Results: One hundred five (32.1%) patients were diagnosed with PSCI at 1-month poststroke. The serum Mg²⁺ levels in both the PSCI group and the non-PSCI group were significantly lower than those in normal control group (P <0.001). In addition, the PSCI group had lower levels of serum Mg²⁺ compared to the non-PSCI group (P =0.003). In the binary logistic regression analysis, a serum Mg²⁺ level of ≤0.82 mmol/L was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing PSCI by the 1-month follow-up (OR 2.236, 95% CI 1.232–4.058, P =0.008), as was age (OR 1.043, 95% CI 1.014–1.073, P =0.003).
Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the existence of a significant association between low levels of serum Mg²⁺ and the occurrence of PSCI 1-month poststroke, and these results suggest that low levels of serum Mg²⁺ on admission may serve as a risk factor for developing PSCI by 1-month poststroke.
Keywords: cognition, magnesium, stroke, risk factor