Bronchiolitis

Overview

Only Magnesium is indexed for bronchiolitis, with three low-rated studies (WA 40) for effect size and evidence and medium trust.

Intravenous or nebulized magnesium sulfate does not help infants with bronchiolitis and may worsen symptoms. Using magnesium in a nebulizer along with usual treatment does not shorten hospital stay or reduce the need for breathing support. Taking magnesium by mouth for bronchiolitis has not been studied.

See the evidence reviews below for trial detail.

Effect graph

Unlock now

Relevant supplements

Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.


Magnesium	★★★★★	Very Low / None

Unlock now

Studies

Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.

1 supplement for rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.

MagnesiumView supplement →

Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeVery Low / NoneEvidenceHighTrustMedium

Hospital IV/IM therapy — not an oral supplement

Evidence Review

Giving magnesium sulfate through an IV or as a nebulizer to infants with bronchiolitis does not help and might even make symptoms worse.
Using magnesium in a nebulizer along with usual treatment doesn’t shorten hospital stay or reduce the need for breathing support.
Taking magnesium by mouth for this illness has not been studied.

Browse 3 studies1 meta-analysis

MetaMagnesium sulphate for treating acute bronchiolitis in children up to two years of age2020n=158

A Cochrane meta-analysis of 4 bronchiolitis RCTs (564 children) found nebulized magnesium sulfate did not improve clinical severity scores and may increase 30-day hospital readmission (RR 3.16, low certainty).

Effect: No Benefit
Population: Children/adolescents
Participants: 158

View on PubMed

RCTIV Magnesium Sulfate for Bronchiolitis: A Randomized Trial2017n=82

In 162 infants with acute bronchiolitis (median age 3.7 months), a single IV dose of magnesium sulfate 100 mg/kg did not shorten time to discharge versus placebo and increased infirmary/hospital readmission within 2 weeks (19.5% vs 6.2%).

Effect: No Benefit
Dose: 100 mg/kg/day
Population: Children/adolescents
Participants: 82
Ages: ≤18 months

View on PubMed

RCTNebulized Magnesium Sulfate in Acute Bronchiolitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial2015n=120

An RCT of 120 infants with acute bronchiolitis found nebulized magnesium sulfate (40 mg/kg) plus epinephrine improved clinical distress scores but did not reduce hospital stay vs epinephrine alone.

Effect: No Benefit
Dose: 40 mg/kg
Population: Children/adolescents
Participants: 120
Avg age: ~5 months

View on PubMed

Unlock now

Evidence visualised

Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.

Purchase-guidance distribution

How many supplements fall in each purchase band

Effect-size distribution

How large the reported benefits tend to be

Study distribution across 1 supplements for bronchiolitis (3 studies total).
Supplement	DEX	Studies	Meta-analyses	Share
Magnesium	★★★★★40%	3	1	100%

Unlock now

Overview

Effect graph

Relevant supplements

Studies

Evidence visualised

On this page