title: Asthma fatalities at the Emergency Department of the Singapore General Hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in Singapore and the prevalence is increasing. Despite this, the worldwide mortality rate from asthma has been noted to be low at an average of 2.0 per 100,000 people in developed countries such as the United States. Risk factors for fatal asthma attacks that have been described include excessive use of short acting beta-agonists, errors in clinical judgement, poor compliance, psychosocial disorders, use of three or more groups of asthma medication and indicators of asthma severity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aim to study the incidence of asthma deaths occurring in the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Singapore.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the total number of patients at the Department of Emergency Medicine in Singapore General Hospital from January 1999 to June 2005, eight fatalities were attributed to exacerbation of bronchial asthma. The characteristics of these patients are described.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A low incidence of asthma-related deaths is found in Singapore.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Republic of Singapore. chinnjing@pacific.net.sg
authors.forename: Huck-Chin
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001249:Asthma / Q000401:mortality*; D002648:Child; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012846:Singapore