Yes, You Can Die of Asthma

No one should die of asthma but it still happens.  The case of a New York Times reporter highlights this point.  He died in Syria, not by violence but from an asthma attack.   The medical  journal Thorax points out that “regular use of inhaled steroids is associated with a decreased risk of asthma death, and excessive use of short acting β agonists is associated with a markedly increased risk of asthma death.”  Inhaled steroids are the mainstay of asthma treatment and are safe in prescribed doses.