To the Editor:—
I should like to mention the possibility of a connection between nasal obstruction as a cause of sudden death (as described in your editorial [205:639, 1968]) and the use of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin).
An annotation has recently described a number of more or less serious complications due to an idiosyncratic (not allergic) response to aspirin (Lancet 2:618, 1968). Aspirin is also said to be a powerful histamine releaser in predisposed patients.
In your editorial it is mentioned that "the majority who die have a history of preceding minor respiratory illness." This condition will often call for aspirin (not seldom used in too high doses for young infants), and thus the etiology suggested here should not be improbable.
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