Abstract
It is presumed that there may be about 150, 000 cases of intractable asthma in Japan. But its etiology and clinical feature are uncertain.
On the hereditary tendency to asthma, a comparative study of the intractable asthmatics (36 cases) with the non-intractable asthmatics (120 cases) was carried out by taking their family histories.
The hereditary tendency to asthma was proved at a significantly higher percentage in intractable asthmatics (70%) than in the other ones (48%). There was no difference between male and female in intractable cases. In both groups, there was no difference between inheritance from the father's side and the mother's side.
In the family history of intractable asthmatic patients, two or more asthmatics were frequently found in the same pedigree.
