Effect of intravenous magnesium sulphate on airway calibre and airway reactivity to histamine in asthmatic subjects.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Histamine.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled cross-over study the researchers have investigated the effect of intravenous magnesium on airway calibre and airway reactivity to histamine in 20 subjects with mild to moderate asthma.

Who Took Part

The study group was 20 subjects.

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover study.

The subjects were allocated by chance, so the Histamine group and the comparison group should start out alike.

As a double-blind Histamine study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

Some subjects received a placebo instead of Histamine, giving a reference point.

In the crossover set-up each of the subjects took both Histamine and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Asthma, Bronchi, Forced Expiratory Volume, Histamine, Magnesium and Magnesium Sulfate.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Histamine in 20 subjects.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 1996 (British journal of clinical pharmacology), a journal based in England.

More context: all human trials.