[Magnesium and vitamin B₂ status of children with bronchial asthma and obesity]

Insufficiency or deficiency of some micronutrients may be additional modifying factors that influence the pathogenesis of the disease and the effectiveness of standard pharmacotherapy. The aim of the study - to evaluate the level of magnesium and vitamin B₂ in blood serum of patients with bronchial asthma and obesity in order to develop methods for individual correction of deficiency. Material and methods. The study included 51 children aged 12-17 years. The first group included 23 patients (12 girls and 11 boys) with asthma with comorbidities (obesity), and the second group consisted of 28 children (10 girls and 18 boys) with obesity. The concentration of magnesium in blood serum was determined by a colorimetric method without deproteinization, and vitamin B₂ - by an immunological microbiological method. Results and discussion. When analyzing the concentration of magnesium in blood serum of the examined children, it was found that in patients with bronchial asthma and obesity, a reduced content of this mineral was observed in 15 (65.2%) patients. The average magnesium concentration was 0.66±0.02 mmol/l at a rate of 0.7-1.2 mmol/l. A statistically significant decrease in the magnesium level in children suffering from asthma and obesity was noted, compared with the level in children with obesity (0.66 [0.57; 0.73] vs 0.71 [0.67; 0.73] mmol/l, р<0.05). Low serum magnesium levels in obese patients were detected more rarely (р<0.05) - only in 6 (21.4%) children, mostly in patients with grade III obesity. The remaining 22 (78.6%) children had magnesium level within the normal range. Patients with low serum magnesium levels showed increased irritability, sleep disturbance, loss of memory and concentration. Vitamin B2 levels in all examined children were within the normal range (137-370 ng/ml). Conclusion. The results indicate a decrease in the concentration of magnesium and normal levels of vitamin B₂ in serum in patients with bronchial asthma and obesity. Low serum magnesium levels were observed in children with low bronchial asthma control. To increase the effectiveness of therapy and control the symptoms of bronchial asthma, especially when combined with obesity, correction of the accompanying magnesium deficiency is necessary.