title: Serum magnesium and stable asthma: Is there a link?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although magnesium is used through intravenous and inhalation route in the management of asthma, actual prevalence of hypomagnesemia in asthma is not known. We conducted this study: 1) to detect the prevalence of hypomagnesemia in stable asthma and 2) to assess the significance of hypomagnesemia in these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective clinical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Respiratory Medicine, Calcutta National Medical College, Kolkata.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four months from January, 2007, to April, 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients attending outpatients department of respiratory medicine with stable asthma were randomly selected. They were assessed clinically and their serum magnesium levels were measured. This was compared with the serum magnesium values of 45 nonasthmatic healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 50 patients, 14 had hypomagnesemia. Possible relationship of hypomagnesemia with tachycardia, tachypnoea, severity of asthma, medication use, and previous and future exacerbations were analyzed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was statistically significant association of hypomagnesemia with tachypnoea, severe asthma, use of long-acting β-agonist, inhaled corticosteroids, theophylline, use of ≥ 3 medications, previous and future exacerbations but not with tachycardia or use of short-acting β(2) -agonist or montelukast.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, North Bengal Medical College, Susruta Nagar, Darjeeling, India.
authors.forename: Sibes Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Arup Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Haldar
authors.forename: Indranath
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Samirendra Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: Anirban
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Saurabh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Biswas