When Asthma Kills

Anthony Shadid’s Death Is a Reminder Of a Health Problem That’s Better Managed-And Yet More Deadly

Two thousand years ago, the Roman philosopher Seneca described the symptoms of asthma. An acute attack of the condition, although usually brief, was worse, he insisted, than any other disease since it was like a “rehearsal for death,” a form of breathing difficulty that led patients to fear that they were drawing their last breath.

Where symptoms are concerned, little has changed since Seneca’s time. The cardinal symptoms of asthma–respiratory distress, wheeze, and cough–remain the same. The anxiety suffered during attacks echoes Seneca’s description of “gasping out your life-breath.” My experience …