Effectiveness of Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate in Children Presenting to the Emergency Department with Acute Exacerbation of Asthma

Effectiveness of Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate in Asthma

Abstract

Asthma is a serious medical condition in the pediatric age group and can have a high mortality, therefore it should be managed effectively. Patients not responding adequately to first line therapy need additional treatment. A few research studies have evaluated the use of intravenous magnesium sulfate in improving respiratory scores in severe acute pediatric asthma but the results have been conflicting. Objectives: To determine the benefit of intravenous magnesium sulfate in treating children presenting with worsening of asthma symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study carried out at the Pediatrics Unit of Zia Uddin University Hospital, Karachi from 1^st March 2021 to 1^st March 2022. On the whole, 280 children in the age group 2-12 years with acute worsening of asthma of were selected by non-probability purposive sampling technique, however, children in need of invasive ventilation and those having asthma related complications on radiological investigations were omitted. Chi-square was applied for categorical variables and a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 280 patients who came to the Pediatric Emergency Department with acute severe asthma, 236 (84.3%) patients responded to a single dose of intravenous magnesium sulfate manifested by an improvement in clinical asthma score, while 44 patients (15.7%) did not show improvement. The admission rate to the pediatric intensive care unit was only 12.8%. Conclusion: Magnesium sulfate infusion helps improve respiratory symptoms in acute worsening of pediatric asthma.