Abstract
49 cases of patients under the age of 20 who died with asthma attacks were analised. The post-mortem examinations of all these cases were performed in Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner's Office. There were more cases with infancy and with patients over 15 years-old than there were other age groups. The number of asthma deaths increased in September and derceased in March and in August relatively. The time at their death was seen almost all day long. The duration from final attack to death was very short: less than 15 minutes: 15%, less than 30 minutes: 36% and less than 1 hour 56%. In 21% of the cases, the final attacks were not noticed by others, because they could not complain or did not have the time to complain about their dyspnea. Only 26% of them could arrive at hospital. They were diagnosed to have died of asthma attack, pathologically. Complications of them were as follows; 43 of them with lesions of heart and vesseles (hypertrophy and/or enlargement of right ventricule and others), 41 with brain edema, 22% with atrophy of adrenal cortix, 22% with bronchitis or pneumonia, 6% with malnutrition or dehydration, 4% with heamorhage of lung, 4% with vomitus in bronchus, 2% with spontaneous pneumothorax and others respectively.
