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It also seems clear that Taylor--like all too many asthma sufferers--had unwittingly made her condition worse. Although she had cut back, she was still smoking three cigarettes a day--which would have made her airways more prone to spasm. "It is virtually impossible to control asthma in the presence of active cigarette smoking," says Leslie Hendeles, a clinical pharmacist at the University of Florida. "Even children who are taking in secondary smoke from their parents are adversely affected."
In addition, Taylor treated her symptoms with an over-the-counter remedy--in this case, Primatene Mist--that probably masked the severity of her condition. Despite warning labels that clearly state no one should use the inhaler unless a doctor has diagnosed asthma, Taylor depended on it to alleviate her occasional shortness of breath. Such self-treatment frustrates doctors. "Every time people use these over-the-counter remedies, they are delaying getting long-term care," says Busse.
The proper approach, asthma specialists say, is to try to prevent attacks, not just to deal with them as they happen. In addition to corticosteroids for long-term treatment, most doctors prescribe inhalers that contain so-called beta-agonists, which work directly on the airways to stop the spasms.
With hindsight, it now seems Krissy Taylor's death could have been prevented had she, or her physician, realized how sick she was. "Asthma is not a disease to be taken lightly," notes Dr. Benjamin Burrows of the University of Arizona. If Taylor's death helps get that message across, it may save other people's lives, allowing some good to come out of her tragic loss.
--Reported by Cathy Booth/Miami and Lawrence Mondi/New York