1991 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Japanese Trends in Asthma Mortality
| Project/Area Number |
02304041
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Co-operative Research (A)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Respiratory organ internal medicine
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| Research Institution | Gunma University |
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Principal Investigator |
NAKAZAWA Tsugio College of Medical Care and Technology, Gunma University Professor, 医療技術短期大学部, 教授 (70008316)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
YAMAKIDO Michiro Hiroshima University School of Medicine. Professor, 医学部, 教授 (50034103)
NAKAJIMA Shigenori Kinki University School of Medicine. Professor, 医学部, 教授 (30058903)
SUETSUGU Susumu Fujita Health University School of Medicine. Professor, 教授 (00084517)
KAWAKAMI Yoshikazu Hokkaido Univeristy. School of Medicine. Professor, 医学部, 教授 (10001877)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1990 – 1991
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| Keywords | Asthma Death / Sudden Death |
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| Research Abstract |
To clarify the recent Japanese trends in fatal asthma, we collected questionaires on a total of 421 asthma death cases (16 years old or more ; 242 male, 158 female in Japan from 1986-1989) and analyzed the information about the 351 patients with a fatal attack, and the results were compared with those (1960-1985) reported by Mitsui. Absolute numbers of asthma death increased from 153 in 1961-1965 to 198 in 1966-1970, and 318 in 1971-1975. The numbers in 1976-1980, 1986-1989 were 316, 351, respectively. In 329 of 351 cases (93.7%) suffocation was the most frequent cause. There is a tendency for sudden death to increase in Japan from 1981 to 1989. The relation of severity of asthma to the death apparently changed from 1981. Before 1981, 70% or more of total deaths came into the catecory of severe type. However, the early 1980s, moderate and mild group slightly increased. Seventy five percent of the death cases have been received a transient or continuous treatment of corticosteroids. Ten percent of all the patients was not experienced in taking any steroids. Most asthmatics were given with beta stimulants. Summary of reflective comments described in the questionaire were impairment of of patient's education, overuse or overreliance of beta agonists, delay of treatment including of emergency measures, and insufficient management. The present study did not do much to alleviate the reason why death rates from asthma in Japan is considerably higher than those in other countries. However, increases in sudden death and in non-severe type asthma are recent Japanese trends. It is hoped that increasing recognized asthma death should promote active research for determination of risk factors and advence further investigations of better management of the patients to prevent death from asthma.
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