Abstract
We have experienced twenty nine cases of death from asthma who had visitted the department of pediatrics of Doai Memorial Hospital between 1965 and 1987. These cases were analised. They were 18 males and 11 females. The mean age at death was 12.4 years-old and we found that death in later childhood and adolescence had been increasing since 1973. The duration from final attack to death was very short: less than 1 hour: 20.8% and less than 2 hours 50%. About half of them couldn't arrive at hospital. Ten cases died within one year after cessation of long term systemic administration of steroid. The causes of death are as follows: asphyxia: 23 cases (one complicatting with aspiration, one withdrawal syndrome of steroid, and one subendocardial haemorrhage and two pneumothorax cases), anaphylaxic shock to ACTH 1 case, shock to a stimilant: 1 case, following emergency operation: 1 case and unknown: 3 cases.
