[Epidemiologic aspects of bronchial asthma in the Mexican Republic]

This work was done to determine the mortality and morbidity rates secondary to asthma in Mexico, for age, gender, state of the country and time. Data were obtained from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Geografía e Informática. We calculated morbidity and mortality rates adjusting for age, by a direct method. In the results, there was a reduction in mortality rate in both genders, from 1960 to 1987. Age groups up to 4 years and older than 50 were the mainly affected. From 1960 to the present time, the state with highest mortality is Tlaxcala. The states with highest hospitalization rates were Morelos, Baja California Sur, Nuevo León, Durango and Tamaulipas. In conclusion, mortality rates secondary to asthma in Mexico show a decreasing trend, with a considerable rise in morbidity, especially in the adolescent group.