Abstract
The magnesium (Mg) concentration was measured in erythrocytes of 30 women with pronounced primary Raynaud's phenomenon (PRP) and of 33 age-matched healthy control women. The measurements were made at three different times, six months apart. The mean Mg concentration in the PRP group and the control group differed signifi cantly at each measurement. The values for the two groups were, respectively 1.64 ±0.21 and 2.02 ±0.21 mmol/L (P<0.001) in February, 1988; 2.16 ±0.21 and 1.85 ±0.21 mmol/L (P<0.001) in August, 1988; and 2.01 ±0.21 and 2.37 ±0.20 mmol/L (P<0.001) in January, 1989. The erythrocyte Mg level varied significantly with the time of year in both groups. In the PRP group the mean value was significantly higher in August than in the two winter months, but in the control group it was significantly lower in August. The authors conclude that women with PRP have a significantly lower magnesium concentration in erythrocytes during winter than the healthy controls and that this concentration varied with the season of the year in both groups.
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