ABSTRACT
Despite many advances in our understanding and treatment of asthma, severe acute asthma remains a relatively common and life-threatening condition.
In the US there are approximately 4,000 deaths from asthma each year, with a further 1,400 deaths in the UK. While most patients who die from asthma
have a history of severe and unremitting disease, some patients who had previously had only mild or moderate symptoms can develop sudden fatal or near-fatal attacks (94).
