Abstract
We report a death case of a 13 year old boy who had been under the control of a respirator for 6 months after suffering a severe asthmatic attack. This episode occurred three months after his discharge from National Minami-Fukuoka Chest Hospital where he had been hospitalized for more than three years for the residential treatment of asthma. The severity and frequency of the attack increased, although the serum IgE level remarkably decreased during his stay in hospital. It is suggested that hyperresponsiveness of the airway is an important factor in the occurrence of the asthma attack in this case. Diabetes insipidus (DI) occurred in the course of treatment, indicating a poor sigh of anoxic damage of the brain. The findings of flat waves in the EEG were seen at the same time that symptoms of DI appeared. In order to prevent such a death by acute asthma attack occurred in this case, it is necessary to show repeatedly the actual ways how and when they should contact with their physicians and hospitals.
