Inpatient asthma mortality in a tertiary referral hospital from 2000 to 2010

Objective: Asthma is a common respiratory disease, the prevalence of which varies according to multiple demographic and economic factors. The availability of therapy and implimentation of treatment guidelines has made the asthma mortality rate stable or gradually in decline. This study was conducted to evaluate the mortality trend of asthmatic patients who died during hospitalization in a tertiary care center. Methods: A retrospective study of hospitalized asthmatic patients was conducted by reviewing medical records selected on the basis of primary or secondary diagnosis of asthma, between January 2000 and December 2010. The record review focused on the patients admitted to the institution who died with the principal diagnosis of asthma or having asthma as a co-morbidity. Results: Between January 2000 and December 2010, a total of 540,365 patients were hospitalized. Of these, 553 patients were admitted with their primary or the co-principal diagnosis of asthma. In the asthma group that were admitted, 3 male and 9 female patients died during this period, or 2.17% of asthma admissions. Eight patients died in the first five years of the study, compared to 4 in the second half. Conclusion: The mortality rate of asthma in hospitalized patients has been declining in the last ten years. This finding has shown the importance of long-term medication used to provide good disease control and the use of asthma treatment guidelines which may lead to the overall decreases in mortality rate.