Korean J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol.  2009 Mar;29(1):27-32.

Clinical Outcomes after Recovery from Severe Asthma Exacerbation: the Second Report

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Approximately 10% of patients with near- fatal asthma (NFA) die within a year of an attack, and close follow-up is helpful to prevent fatal events.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the clinical outcomes of acute severe asthma and whether close follow-up may help to improve clinical outcomes. METHOD: Asthma patients (N=225), who were hospitalized due to severe exacerbation during the period 1998~2006, were followed up using questionnaires or phone interviews. The 146 patients, who had regularly visited our hospital until the examination, were assigned as regular hospital visitor. RESULT: Twenty-two (9.8%) of the total patients and 7 (15.9%) of 44 NFA patients died (mean follow-up period:138.9 weeks). The mortality rate was significantly lower in regular hospital visitors than in the others (total: 6.2% vs. 16.5%, P<0.05; NFA: 3.4% vs. 40.0%, P<0.01). The regular hospital visitors controlled their asthma better (controlled/partly controlled/uncontrolled: 75/38/33 vs. 20/ 28/31; P<0.001), had better knowledge of asthma (9.7+/-0.2 vs. 8.5+/-0.3, P<0.01) and used inhaled steroid more frequently (74.7% vs. 55.7%, P<0.001) than the others.
CONCLUSION
Not a few patients with acute severe asthma die after discharge from hospital. However, close follow-up and adequate asthma control seem to help in the reduction of asthma mortality.

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Surveys and Questionnaires