COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a respiratory disease characterized by a variety of symptoms, including difficulty exhaling, wheezing, chest tightness and a mucous-producing cough. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema can lead to COPD in some people. COPD is a major cause of disability throughout the world, affecting 64 million people, with rates expected to increase, according to 2004 World Health Organization Statistics. Researchers have revealed a potential link between dietary magnesium and the risk and severity of COPD.
Depletion
Magnesium is essential to proper respiratory function; however, some COPD medications deplete your body's magnesium supply, says Kevin Felner, MD, Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Disease Specialist with New York University's School of Medicine and author of the book "COPD for Dummies." Effectiveness of supplementing with magnesium is unproven, though intravenous magnesium therapy has shown benefits for acute asthma attacks and COPD for some people. Additionally, magnesium deficiency is a challenge to diagnose, since blood levels may not accurately reflect tissue levels. Check with your doctor to rule out magnesium deficiency if you experience symptoms such as muscle cramps, tingling or numbness, or disorientation.
Deficiency
Asthma patients with severe or acute forms of the disease tend to display normal blood levels of magnesium but lower levels of magnesium in red blood cells, says Amy P. Miller, editor of the book "New Developments in Asthma Research." A disorganized biological clock may be at fault, together with magnesium deficiency, in a self-perpetuating cycle in asthmatics. Magnesium is a key nutrient in the secretion of melatonin -- the hormone that regulates your sleep and awake cycles, whereby a deficiency of magnesium leads to decreased melatonin secretion. Melatonin, in turn, influences the distribution of magnesium.
Respiratory Capacity
Intravenous magnesium significantly improved respiratory capacity in 22 COPD patients in a study conducted at the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Scientists gave participants 2 mg of magnesium on two separate occasions and observed improved functional respiratory capacity and improved inspiratory and expiratory capacity. Improved ability to fully empty the lungs was shown by smaller residual lung volume -- the amount of air left in the lungs upon full exhalation. Decreased hyperinflation -- the condition whereby extra effort is required to take a deep breath -- resulted from intravenous magnesium therapy in this study, leading researchers to call for further studies to learn more about the potential benefits of magnesium for treatment of COPD.
Hospitalization
Low blood levels of magnesium lead to increased hospital visits for COPD patients, according to a study published in the July 2008 issue of the journal "Respiratory Medicine." Of 100 patients hospitalized with COPD, 23 percent had frequent readmissions. The sole predictor of readmissions in these patients was their blood magnesium level. Notably, frequency of hospital readmission was not influenced by oral or inhaled steroid use in this study at the Department of Internal Medicine, St. Luke's Hospital, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
References
- "COPD For Dummies"; Kevin Felner, M.D.; 2008
- "New developments in Asthma Research"; Amy P. Miller; 2006
- "Medical Science Monitor"; Effects of Acute Magnesium Loading on Pulmonary Function of Stable Copd Patients; A.F.de Amaral; October 2008
- "Respiratory Medicine"; Serum Magnesium is an Independent Predictor of Frequent Readmissions Due to Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; S.P. Bhatt, et al.; July 2008
- World Health Organization:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: What is COPD?
