Relation of serum and erythrocyte magnesium levels to blood pressure and a family history of hypertension. A follow-up study in Japanese children, 12-14 years old.

Serum and erythrocyte magnesium concentrations (S-Mg, E-Mg) were measured in 122 junior high school students followed up for two years from 12 to 14 years of age, and the relationship to blood pressure and a family history of hypertension were investigated. The subjects who had high S-Mg and E-Mg levels at the first examination two years prior tended to show high levels after this follow-up. There were significant positive correlations between two intraindividual values of S-Mg and E-Mg. A similar tendency was found for blood pressure. Tracking phenomena were observed with these measures. The subjects who had high E-Mg levels at the first examination showed no blood pressure elevation during the two-year period. The subjects with a family history of hypertension [FH(+)] showed a higher degree of blood pressure rise during two years than those with no family history [FH(-)], with a significant difference in systolic blood pressure at the age of 14. E-Mg tended to be lower in the FH(+) group than in the FH(-) group with a significant difference in 14-year-old girls. These results suggest that a hereditary predisposition to hypertension is related to magnesium metabolism and that intracellular magnesium deficiency may influence blood pressure elevation in the FH(+) children.