Abstract
In a detailed study of factors associated with death from bronchial asthma outside hospital 90 patients were investigated. The fatal attack was typically short and was most likely to occur in patients with a long history. Deaths often occurred before effective medical help was obtainable, but occasionally the patient or the doctor underestimated the severity of the attack. Patients especially at risk were those recently discharged from hospital after a previous attack. These deaths might be prevented by better patient education, a self-admission service for selected asthmatics, and by doctors using objective measurements of severity of asthma for the control of treatment. The underuse of corticosteroids is an important factor associated with death.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Burr M. L., St Leger A. S., Bevan C., Merrett T. G. A community survey of asthmatic characteristics. Thorax. 1975 Dec;30(6):663–668. doi: 10.1136/thx.30.6.663. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Crompton G. K., Grant I. W. Edinburgh emergency asthma admission service. Br Med J. 1975 Dec 20;4(5998):680–682. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5998.680. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gandevia B. Pressurized sympathomimetic aerosols and their lack of relationship to asthma mortality in Australia. Med J Aust. 1973 Feb 10;1(6):273–277. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1973.tb119742.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gandevia B. The changing pattern of mortality from asthma in Australia. 2. Mortality and modern therapy. Med J Aust. 1968 May 25;1(21):884–891. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Herxheimer H. Asthma mortality. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1973 Feb;107(2):306–307. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1973.107.2.306a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Inman W. H., Adelstein A. M. Rise and fall of asthma mortality in England and Wales in relation to use of pressurised aerosols. Lancet. 1969 Aug 9;2(7615):279–285. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(69)90051-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rebuck A. S., Read J. Assessment and management of severe asthma. Am J Med. 1971 Dec;51(6):788–798. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(71)90307-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Speizer F. E., Doll R., Heaf P. Observations on recent increase in mortality from asthma. Br Med J. 1968 Feb 10;1(5588):335–339. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5588.335. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stolley P. D. Asthma mortality. Why the United States was spared an epidemic of deaths due to asthma. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1972 Jun;105(6):883–890. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1972.105.6.883. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]