11 Facts About Asthma

1. There are 4,000 deaths due to asthma each year, many of which are avoidable with proper treatment and care.
2. The annual cost of asthma is estimated to be nearly $18 billion.
3. Hispanics may have an elevated risk for exposure to air pollution since a disproportionate number (80%) live in areas failing to meet one or more national standards for air pollutants.
4. Asthma is the #1 cause of children missing school accounting for more than 14 million total missed days of school.
5. African American women have the highest asthma mortality rate of all groups, more than 2.5 times higher than Caucasian women.
6. Asthma is more common among adult women than adult men, but it is more common among male children than female children.
7. More than 17 million people in the US have been diagnosed with asthma.
8. Asthma affects more than 4.8 million children, making it the most common serious chronic disease among children.
9. African Americans are three times more likely to both be hospitalized from asthma and die from asthma.
10. Asthma accounts for 25% of all emergency room visits in the U.S. each year, with two million emergency room visits.
11. Every day, thirty thousand Americans have an asthma attack.

Sources:
American Lung Association
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Asthma Research Online
University of Michigan Health System
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
NYC.gov