Magnesium sulfate for acute asthma in adults: a systematic literature review
10.5415/apallergy.2012.2.1.76
- Author:
Woo Jung SONG
1
;
Yoon Seok CHANG
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 110-799, Korea. addchang@snu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Asthma;
Magnesium sulfate;
Emergency treatment;
Review
- MeSH:
Adult;
Asthma;
Emergency Service, Hospital;
Emergency Treatment;
Humans;
Magnesium Sulfate;
Magnesium
- From:
Asia Pacific Allergy
2012;2(1):76-85
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) has been considered as an adjunct therapy for severe and life-threatening asthma exacerbation. The literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding magnesium therapy in acute exacerbation of adult asthma. A total of 16 trials and 4 meta-analyses were identified. As results, intravenous MgSO₄ was beneficial in severe exacerbation, but evidence for nebulized magnesium was insufficient. However, larger trials are required to draw confirmative conclusions on the efficacy. Regarding the safety concern, the risk of major toxicity appears to be very low at usual doses described in the literature. Additionally, results from 4 surveys were examined on the gaps between knowledge and practice, and on the barrier to the use of MgSO₄ at emergency departments. This literature review summarized the up-to-date evidence on the issues regarding the use of MgSO₄ for acute asthma. We expect more studies to be conducted for evidence making in the Asian-Pacific regions.
