Asthma mortality in England and Wales: evidence for a further increase, 1974-84.

The trend in asthma mortality has been estimated from published statistics for the years 1974-84, with account being taken of changes due to the revision of the International Classification of Diseases in 1979. Mortality rose annually by an average of 4.7% in the 5-34 year age-group (p less than 0.05), and the increased mortality since 1974 probably accounted for 408 excess deaths in the 5-64 year age-group between 1975 and 1984. No satisfactory explanation for this rise in mortality is likely until there is adequate monitoring of the prevalence and severity of asthma.