Asthma is a condition of chronic inflammation of the lungs with intermittent worsening of symptoms. These exacerbations can cause significant breathing difficulty in children. Upper respiratory infections, allergies, exercise and cold weather can trigger asthma exacerbations. Medicines to help treat asthma exacerbations include bronchodilators, such as albuterol; anti-inflammatory steroids; and intravenous magnesium.
Facts About Asthma
Asthma is the most common chronic condition of childhood, according to the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology. The inflammation of asthma narrows the airways and increases the amount of mucous and phlegm inside the lungs, leading to airway obstruction and further worsening the ability of the lungs to transfer oxygen to the bloodstream.
Symptoms
Asthma causes inflammation around the airways, restricting the lungs' capacity for airflow and oxygen exchange. The symptoms of asthma reflect this diminished capacity of air exchange and include a dry recurrent cough, rapid breathing and shortness of breath. Retractions, or the pulling of chest muscles to bring in air, are another sign of respiratory distress. The other sign of asthma is wheezing -- the high-pitched noise made by the lungs as air flows through constricted airways.
Treatments
The initial treatment of asthma can involve oxygen, steroids to reduce inflammation, and bronchodilators to open up the airways. Bronchodilators work by relaxing the muscle surrounding the airways, allowing them to expand. Intravenous magnesium can be used in pediatric patients with asthma exacerbations that do not respond to initial therapies. According to The Merck Manuals, magnesium also works by relaxing the smooth muscle around the airways.
Side Effects of Magnesium
The side effects of intravenous magnesium include flushing, hypotension or decreased blood pressure, and vasodilatation, or dilatation of blood vessels. Diarrhea can also occur. In high enough doses, magnesium can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac arrest, and paralysis of the muscles involved in respiration. Pediatric patients receiving magnesium for their asthma exacerbation need close monitoring of respiratory parameters, heart rhythm and magnesium level in the blood.
