Prognosis

• 1 or more life-threatening asthma attacks
• psychosocial problems

The risk is increased in patients in the community with:

• non-compliance with treatment  ^b
• 1 or more life-threatening asthma attacks  ^b
• 1 or more previous respiratory arrests  ^b
• 1 or more hospital admission with asthma in last year  ^b  
• 1 or more attendance to an emergency department with asthma in last year  ^b
• 3 or more categories of asthma drug prescribed in last year  ^b
• regular beta-agonist use  ^b

Note

Clinical features can help predict death from asthma

Outcome	Risk Factor	PEER	OR (95% CI)	NNH (95% CI)
death from asthma (community) b	3 or more categories of asthma drug prescribed last year   independent	0.0057%	3.0 (1.04 to 10.5)	8800  (1900 to 440000)
	non-compliance with treatment     independent	0.0057%	infinity (5.2 to infinity)	<180  (1 to 4200)
	1 or more life threatening asthma attacks    independent	0.0057%	infinity (4.9 to infinity)	<180  (1 to 4500)
	1 or more previous respiratory arrests     independent	0.0057%	infinity (1.4 to infinity)	<180  (1 to 44000)
	1 or more hospital admissions with asthma in last year    independent	0.0057%	16.0 (2.5 to 666)	1200  (27 to 12000)
	1 or more attendance to an emergency department with asthma in last year     independent	0.0057%	8.5 (2.0 to 75.9)	2300  (240 to 18000)
	1 or more life threatening asthma attacks     independent	0.0057%	3.8 (1.2 to 15.5)	360  (70 to 5000)
	psychosocial problems   independent	0.0057%	3.5 (1.004 to 13.7)	400  (80 to 250000)