Abstract
The childhood asthma death reported to the committee until October in 2011 were reviewed on 207 patients from 0 to 34 years of age, who had died from 1989 to 2011.
The number of annual asthma death has decreased since 1998. Sex ratio (male to female) was 127 to 80. The older the asthmatic children became, the more the number of asthma death at school environment was concerned.
The frequency of asthma severity during the past year before asthma death were severe, moderate and mild, 43%, 29% and 28% respectively. The major factors for asthma death were unexpectedly rapid exacerbation and delay in time for visiting the hospital, 94% and 83%, respectively. The medication during the past year indicated increases in the use of inhaled corticosteroids from 24% to 38%. Furthermore, a beta-agonist patch and inhaled long acting beta 2 agonist have recently been used. By contrast, both the use of an inhaled short acting beta 2 agonist and oral corticosteroid were less frequently. Of 207 patients, the frequency of a broken family was about 15%, suggesting delay in time for visiting the hospital.
