Life-threatening asthma

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Abstract
Life-threatening asthma, defined as hypercapnia, need for intubation or death, at a large municipal hospital during a 10 yr period is reviewed. Such severe illness is rare among asthmatics and predicting its occurrence is difficult. Eighty patients had 11 admissions for life-threatening asthma; 773 patients were hospitalized for asthma 851 times during this period. Only 15% of these 773 patients experienced severe asthma previously and the duration of asthma and frequency of hospitalization was similar to that of the other patients admitted for asthma. Follow-up study of the survivors of life-threatening asthma revealed a very high rate of recurrence. More than 35% had a recurrence in 1-10 yr, and those who had 3-4 episodes had a recurrence rate of 45 and 60%, respectively. Although life-threatening asthma is rare, unpredictable and occurs only after many years of symptomatic illness, once it does occur there is a real risk of recurrence. Patients who experience such a severe episode of asthma require continuing careful supervision and management.

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