Disclaimer: I am not a doctor (and don't even play one on the internet)
That said: since the point of waterboarding is to make the victims feel like they're drowning, and as asthma attacks can be triggered by stress, it could very well trigger an attack. Add to that the fact that asthmatics already have a compromised respiratory system, and you're introducing water into it, and I can see it turning fatal pretty easily.
http://news.nurse.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080225/NATIONAL02/80222032/-1/frontpage - this doesn't directly speak to asthmatics, but if it can trigger heart attacks, scar tissue in the trachea and upper respiratory system, and pneumonia in otherwise healthy, non-asthmatic victims, it seems that asthmatics, whose systems are already compromised, will fare even worse.
As someone who gets asthma from time to time yes it would bring on an attack. The person would feel terrified and stressed and having an attack is like drowning anyway and trying to breath through water. As to whether it would be fatal - stress makes the attack worse so if they stop and let them recover then probably not.
I used to have athsma when I was a kid, and used to have mild attacks almost every time I went swimming (though this may have had as much to do with chlorine and/or exertion as water). Thankful, I've since outgrown asthma, but even the idea of inhaling some water still makes my lungs tense up a bit. Also, being frightened or stressed out can easily bring on an attack, so yes, your character could easily not survive if you aren't very careful.
Asthma sufferer, not a doctor, but I can say with confidence that it would definitely end in attack(s) of great severity. Pneumonia after the first few times is almost 100% probable.
If your torturers are considerate enough not to want to kill your protagonist, they could use lukewarm / body-temperature, clean water - that would probably grant them two or three repetitions without a major attack and/or pneumonia taking hold. Cold and/or dirty water = immediate attack, almost immediate pneumonia.
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That said: since the point of waterboarding is to make the victims feel like they're drowning, and as asthma attacks can be triggered by stress, it could very well trigger an attack. Add to that the fact that asthmatics already have a compromised respiratory system, and you're introducing water into it, and I can see it turning fatal pretty easily.
http://news.nurse.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080225/NATIONAL02/80222032/-1/frontpage - this doesn't directly speak to asthmatics, but if it can trigger heart attacks, scar tissue in the trachea and upper respiratory system, and pneumonia in otherwise healthy, non-asthmatic victims, it seems that asthmatics, whose systems are already compromised, will fare even worse.
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Also, being frightened or stressed out can easily bring on an attack, so yes, your character could easily not survive if you aren't very careful.
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If your torturers are considerate enough not to want to kill your protagonist, they could use lukewarm / body-temperature, clean water - that would probably grant them two or three repetitions without a major attack and/or pneumonia taking hold. Cold and/or dirty water = immediate attack, almost immediate pneumonia.
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