In recent years the morbidity and mortality of asthma has increased, although the etiology is
still poorly understood. Most patients with asthma suffer acute attacks that are commonly
treated in hospital emergency rooms (ER). In the present study, asthma in adults was
studied with acute attacks as a marker for the disease; 102 patients first observed at a
university hospital ER with acute airway obstruction were compared to 118 patients
observed at the same ER with any diagnosis other than shortness of breath to evaluate …