Baseline characteristics of the patients in the two study groups*
| Group A | Group B | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Group A: nebulised magnesium sulphate + salbutamol; group B: salbutamol alone. †Mean (SD). ‡No. of patients. | |||
| Age (years)† | 46.26 (13.96) | 41.00 (16.66) | 0.117 |
| Men : women | 27:23 | 33:17 | 0.307 |
| Duration of asthma (years)† | 10.66 (8.20) | 13.00 (11.97) | 0.237 |
| Previous hospitalisation‡ | 7 | 6 | 1.000 |
| Duration of present attack in days† | 4.16 (1.69) | 4.28 (1.99) | 0.746 |
| Received medications before arriving at hospital‡ | 48 | 50 | 0.495 |
| Smoker‡ | 9 | 5 | 0.110 |