title: [Is the incidence of near-fatal asthma decreasing in Spain?].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A number of studies have shown that both mortality and hospital admissions due to severe asthma have decreased in recent years in many parts of the world. However, the situation is Spain has not yet been analyzed. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of very severe, near-fatal asthma in recent years in various Spanish hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of hospital records from 6 hospitals in 5 Spanish autonomous communities was conducted for the period 1997 to 2004 to determine the annual number of patients who required orotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation due to an asthma attack.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 130 patients included in the study, 81 (62%) were women and 61 (47%) were aged between 51 and 75 years. The number of cases observed for the periods 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 (32 and 18, respectively) was significantly lower than that observed for the 1997-1998 and 1999-2000 periods (40 in both cases; P=.019). A significant increase in the incidence was observed in autumn and winter (n=81 [62%]; P=.018). Seventeen patients (13%) died and 8 (6%) developed serious sequelae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although our sample of 6 hospitals is not widely representative of the entire population of hospitals in Spain, our findings strongly suggest a decrease in the incidence of near-fatal asthma in Spain in recent years.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bellido Casado
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Plaza
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bardagí
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cosano
authors.forename: Antolín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López Viña
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martínez Moragón
authors.forename: Gema
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Trigo
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Picado
authors.forename: Joaquim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sanchis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology