Asthma deaths hereditary

An analysis of genealogy records linked to death certificates in Utah suggests that the risk of dying from an asthma attack is hereditary.

Dr Craig Teerlink and associates at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City identified 1553 asthma-related deaths in a registry of all Utah deaths since 1904.

Information from the Utah Population Database showed the risk of dying of asthma was increased by 69 per cent for first-degree relatives of people who died from asthma compared to people with no family history of asthma deaths, says a report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The risk was also raised by 34 per cent for second-degree relatives and by 15 per cent among third-degree relatives.

Said Dr Teerlink: "The results should provide further incentive for asthma [healthcare] providers to thoroughly question their patients about family history."

- Reuters