title: Asthma-related deaths.
abstract: Despite major advances in the treatment of asthma and the development of several asthma guidelines, people still die of asthma currently. According to WHO estimates, approximately 250,000 people die prematurely each year from asthma. Trends of asthma mortality rates vary very widely across countries, age and ethnic groups. Several risk factors have been associated with asthma mortality, including a history of near-fatal asthma requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation, hospitalization or emergency care visit for asthma in the past year, currently using or having recently stopped using oral corticosteroids (a marker of event severity), not currently using inhaled corticosteroids, a history of psychiatric disease or psychosocial problems, poor adherence with asthma medications and/or poor adherence with (or lack of) a written asthma action plan, food allergy in a patient with asthma. Preventable factors have been identified in the majority of asthma deaths. Inadequate education of patients on recognising risk and the appropriate action needed when asthma control is poor, deficiencies in the accuracy and timing of asthma diagnosis, inadequate classification of severity and treatment, seem to play a part in the majority of asthma deaths. Improvements in management, epitomized by the use of guided self-management systems of care may be the key goals in reducing asthma mortality worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Department of Chest Diseases, High Speciality "A. Cardarelli" Hospital, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Amato
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.affiliation: First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital 'V. Monaldi' and University 'Federico II' Medical School Naples, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molino
authors.affiliation: First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital 'V. Monaldi' and University 'Federico II' Medical School Naples, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stanziola
authors.affiliation: Second Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital 'V. Monaldi' and University 'Federico II' Medical School Naples, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanduzzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vatrella
authors.affiliation: First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital 'V. Monaldi' and University 'Federico II' Medical School Naples, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mormile
authors.affiliation: First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital 'V. Monaldi' and University 'Federico II' Medical School Naples, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lanza
authors.affiliation: First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital 'V. Monaldi' and University 'Federico II' Medical School Naples, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.affiliation: Service of Immunoallergology, University Hospital "Ospedali Riuniti", Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Antonicelli
authors.affiliation: First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital 'V. Monaldi' and University 'Federico II' Medical School Naples, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Amato
keywords: Asthma mortality trends; Asthma-deaths; Inhaled corticosteroids; Near fatal asthma