Sudden death in a young asthmatic.

A 14-year-old boy with severe asthma was treated with prednisone and disodium cromoglycate with considerable subjective improvement, though there was persistent airways obstruction. After several weeks' freedom from symptoms he died in a severe attack of nocturnal asthma. Necropsy findings suggested that hypersecretion had been occurring in die medium-sized airways for several days before death.