An autopsy case of asthmatic death--usefulness of biochemical examination.
BACKGROUND
Asthma is the one of the major causes of sudden death in Japan. Postmortem diagnosis of asthma has been based on morphological findings in lungs, but it histological evidence, was also reported that the biochemical markers such as total and specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) are useful.


METHODS
We present here a case of fatal asthmatic death. A Japanese male in his thirties, complaining of dyspnea, collapsed suddenly. He was taken by ambulance to hospital, but cardiopulmonary resuscitation was ineffective. From autopsy findings, we concluded that the cause of death was asphyxia due to asthma attack. Biochemical findings indicated that the deceased had a severe asthmatic condition.


CONCLUSIONS
In the presented case, the biochemical examination of the serum obtained at autopsy gave helpful information for the diagnosis that asthmatic attack was a cause of death.
Kinoshita
Hiroshi
H
Hyogo College of Medicine, Department of Legal Medicine, Hyogo, Japan. kinochin@hyo-med.ac.jp
Kubota
Akira
A
Kasuda
Shogo
S
Nishiguchi
Minori
M
Ouchi
Harumi
H
Minami
Takako
T
Matsui
Kiyoshi
K
Yamamura
Takehiko
T
Motomura
Hiroyuki
H
Ohtsu
Nao
N
Yoshida
Shie
S
Adachi
Nobuyuki
N
Aoki
Shigeru
S
Komeda
Motoo
M
Hishida
Shigeru
S
D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000473:pathology*; D001344:Autopsy; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male