Mortality from asthma and bronchodilator aerosols

Abstract

The mortality rate from asthma in Australia had a transcient rise between 1960 to 1967. There was a remarkably high correlation between the sales of pressurized adrenergic aerosols in each of the four most populated States and the corresponding asthma mortality rate for two triennia, 1961 to 1963 and 1964 to 1966. This relationship was not found after 1966. From 1965 to 1966, Australians were warned repeatedly of the possible dangers of over-usage of the adrenergic aerosols. The sales pattern of the aerosols altered, showing a slackening of the rate of increase of sales in 1966 and 1967. This and other evidence suggests that the warnings may have reduced the prevalence of over-usage of the aerosols and that before this, over-usage of the adrenergic aerosols could have caused the epidemic of asthma deaths.