[The evolution of mortality due to asthma in the age groups 5-34 and 5-44. Spain, 1975-1991]

BASICS: Mortality caused by asthma has increased in most occidental countries, but its evolution has been unknown for Spain during the last few years.

Variations of mortality caused by asthma of the age groups from 5 to 44 (age in which it is considered an avoidable cause) and from 5 to 34 years of age (when the diagnosis of disease by asthma is more valid) are analysed in Spain from 1975 to 1991. The data of diseases by asthma (CIE-9th-493) have been supplied by the National Institute of Statistics.

The rates of crude mortality by asthma, +/- standard error, for the group from 5 to 34 years of age oscillate between 0.09 +/- 0.02 every 100,000 inhabitants in 1979 to 0.30 +/- 0.04 in 1989. With the standardized rates according to age, we could observe an increase in the mortality caused by asthma for the group from 5 to 34 years of age in 1% (confidence interval 95%, 0.2% to 1.9%) each year since 1981. This increase is not significant for the group from 5 to 44 years of age: 0.6% (IC95% -0.01 to 1.3), due to a negative tendency in the group from 35 to 44 years of age. In the period 1987-1989 there was a significant increase in the group from 5 to 34 years of age (p < 0.001) which could not be explained by the temporary tendency.

We conclude that mortality caused by asthma in these age groups in Spain is infrequent and the rates stay between the lowest registered in the developed world, although, as in most countries, there is a slight increase in the age from 5 to 34 years. The increase of the prevalence and severity of asthma could explain such increase, but this would require specific studies.