How Many People Have Asthma

What Are The Symptoms

People with asthma experience symptoms because of the inflammation and narrowing of their airways. Symptoms often vary from person to person. The most common symptoms are:

If you have any of the above symptoms, visit a doctor to investigate further.

Why Is Asthma Difficult To Diagnose In Older Adults

A diagnosis of asthma may be missed in an older person because symptoms of other health conditions are similar to asthma symptoms and may mask the specific symptoms. Asthma symptoms among older adults are more likely to take the form of coughing with the production of sputum from the lungs. Your physician might interpret those symptoms as being due to other illnesses, such as chronic bronchitis or congestive heart failure. In particular, heart disease and emphysema, much more common in older adults, especially smokers, can mimic asthma symptoms.

Good to know . . . One of the ways in which asthma is recognized among younger people is by the symptoms of wheezing and difficulty breathing following exercise. When older adults become inactive, the opportunity for asthma to present itself lessens. If you experience asthma symptoms wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, chronic cough with your regular activities such as housework, shopping, gardening, or walking, be sure to talk with your physician as soon as possible.

When the asthma symptoms are not recognized correctly, they may remain untreated, likely worsening and creating very serious health risks.

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Preparing For A Doctors Appointment

Patients with asthma or suspected asthma will likely be referred to an allergist or a pulmonologist. These tips may help you be more prepared for your appointment:

• Keep a log of symptoms you are having, even if they are seemingly unrelated.
• Bring a list of any prescription or over-the-counter medications you are taking. Dont forget to list vitamins and supplements, too.
• Jot down a list of questions, such as:
• What tests or procedures will be performed?
• How will my asthma be monitored?
• How should I use my medications? How should they be stored?
• What triggers might cause my asthma to flare? Is there anything I can/should do to reduce my risk of having an asthma attack?
• Will I have an asthma action plan?
• How often do I need follow-up care?

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Among The Report’s Highlights:

In 2003, 11.7% of Delaware adults reported having asthma at some time during their lives, according to the Delaware Behavioral Risk Factor Survey. About 7.5% currently have asthma.

Delawares prevalence is the same as the national prevalence for 2003.

Asthma appears to be slightly more prevalent among young people. In the Delaware Youth Risk Behavior Survey for 2003, about 19% of high school students reported having been diagnosed with asthma and 6.5% said they had an asthma attack in the past 12 months.

Delawares asthma-related hospital discharge rate in general is comparable to the national rate.

Children under age 4 are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized with asthma than any other age group. They are about 4 times as likely to have an asthma-related hospitalization than adults. The report estimates about 3,000 asthma-related hospitalizations of young children a year.

In Delaware, African American residents are hospitalized because of asthma at rates nearly three times greater than whites. Neither the lifetime nor the current prevalence rates have such a high level of disparity.

There is no central registry of emergency room data, so the report examines data from two insurance plansstate employees and Medicaid. Medicaid members are almost three times as likely to use emergency room services for asthma treatment.

In 2000 and 2001, the most recent years for which data are available, there were 17 deaths per year from asthma in Delaware.

What Share Of The Population Has Been Partly Or Fully Vaccinated Against Covid

The following charts show the breakdown of vaccinations by those that have been partly or fully vaccinated. A person is considered partly vaccinated if they have received only one dose of a 2-dose vaccine protocol. A person is considered fully vaccinated if they have received a single-dose vaccine or both doses of a two-dose vaccine.

This data is only available for countries which report the breakdown of doses administered by first and second doses.

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Gender And Ethnic Differences

• More females die of asthma than males, and women have an asthma death rate 45 percent higher than men.
• African Americans are three times as likely as Caucasians to be hospitalized from asthma or die from asthma.
• The racial differences in asthma prevalence, morbidity and mortality are highly correlated with poverty, urban air quality, indoor allergens, lack of patient education and inadequate medical care.

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What Is Allergic Asthma

More than 25 million people in the US have asthma, and allergic asthma is the most common type, affecting around 60% of people with asthma. Both allergic and non-allergic asthma have the same symptoms, such as shortness of breath and wheezing.

Having allergic asthma means allergens trigger your asthma symptoms. Allergens cause an allergic reaction because your immune system thinks they are harmful. Your immune system responds by releasing a substance called immunoglobulin E . Too much IgE can trigger inflammation of the airways in your lungs. This can make it harder for you to breathe and can trigger an asthma attack.

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How Does Asthma Affect Canadians

For the purpose of this fact sheet, we have focused on the subset of individuals with active asthma including only those who have had asthma symptoms or used asthma medications in the past 12 months. In 2009-10, more than 1.8 million Canadians were living with active asthma.

Only one in three had their asthma well-controlled.

• Canadians under the age of 65 years, people with total household incomes below $80,000, and people living outside of an urban core were less likely to have their asthma well controlled. Current smokers and people with high blood pressure were also less likely to have their asthma controlled.

Each of the following triggers were reported by 43% or fewer of respondents: change in temperature or weather, chemical fumes or gases , perfumes or colognes, fumes from a wood stove or wood furnace, feathers in items such as pillows, quilts or duvets, laughing or crying, stress, certain foods, and certain medicines.

How Many People Get Sick From Asthma

• In 2016, asthma accounted for for 9.8 million doctors office visits4
• In 2018, asthma accounted for 178,530 discharges from hospital inpatient care and 1.6 million emergency department visits.5,6
• Black Americans are five times more likely than white Americans to visit the emergency department due to asthma.6

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How Do Rates Of Emergency Admission To Hospital For Asthma Vary Across The Uk 200812

Asthma accounts for 60,000 hospital admissions and 200,000 bed days a year. Compared with conditions such as pneumonia and COPD, these figures are low. But like mortality rates, they are too high for such a manageable condition.

Its also worth noting that many people with asthma attend accident and emergency units without needing admission, but still adding to the burden on health services.

England: There were higher rates of emergency admission in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and the West Midlands than in the UK generally. There were lower admission rates in the East of England, the South East and South West.

Notably more males were admitted in the North East, North West, West Midlands, and London.

Scotland: The admission rate among women was higher than in the UK generally.

Wales: Admission rates were comparable to those for the UK generally.

Northern Ireland: There were lower admission rates for males and females compared with the UK generally.

Asthma hospital admission ratios, males and females, in each UK region, 200812

Relative risk of hospital admissions for asthma, by local authority district , 2010

You can find out how these figures were calculated.

The Us Asthma Statistics Reveal That Approximately 10 Americans Die From The Condition Every Day

In fact, the statistics in the United States show that 3,564 individuals passed away from the condition in 2017. However, many of the reported deaths would be avoidable if the condition was treated in time. Even though asthma in children is more prevalent, adults have a four times higher chance of dying from it.

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Do Men Or Women Have Higher Rates Of Asthma

• Women are more likely to have asthma than men. 9.8 percent of women have asthma, compared to 6.1 percent of men.1
• Women are more likely to die from asthma than men.7
• Boys are more likely to have asthma than girls. 8.4 percent of boys have asthma, compared to 5.5 percent of girls.1

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. . 2019 National Health Interview Survey data. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved from:

Ferrante, G., & La Grutta, S. . The Burden of Pediatric Asthma. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 6.

Zahran, H., Bailey, C., Damon, S., Garbe, P. and Breysse, P. . Vital signs: Asthma in children United States, 20012016. .

National Center for Health Statistics. . National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey . U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. . Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project . U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from:

Asthma Research

What Further Information Do We Need About The Burden Of Asthma

Tracking the global burden of asthma dependson the acquisition of new standardised data overtime for relevant parameters including, at least,prevalence, disability and mortality. It is becomingclear that asthma is a heterogeneous disease,with diverse causes, life-courses, outcomes andoptimal treatments . In further work onthe burden of asthma, including both disabilityand premature mortality, it would be useful tolink this burden to avoidable causes and treatabletraits. This would highlight the potential value ofinterventions to prevent asthma and mitigate theconsequences of asthma with effective treatment.

Guy Marks, Neil Pearce, David Strachan, Innes Asher, Philippa Ellwood

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What Are The Costs Of Asthma

• From 2008-2013, the annual economic cost of asthma was more than $81.9 billion including medical costs and loss of work and school days:8
• $3 billion in losses due to missed work and school days
• $29 billion due to asthma-related mortality, and
• $50.3 billion in medical costs

Why Are Respiratory Diseases Important

Currently more than 25 million people6,7 in the United States have asthma. Approximately 14.8 million adults have been diagnosed with COPD, and approximately 12 million people have not yet been diagnosed.8 The burden of respiratory diseases affects individuals and their families, schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, cities, and states. Because of the cost to the health care system, the burden of respiratory diseases also falls on society it is paid for with tax dollars, higher health insurance rates, and lost productivity. Annual health care expenditures for asthma alone are estimated at $20.7 billion.9

• People living in the northeastern United States
• People living below the federal poverty level
• Employees with certain exposures in the workplace

While there is currently no cure for asthma, there are diagnoses and treatment guidelines that are aimed at ensuring that all people with asthma live full and active lives.10

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How Common Is Asthma

• Approximately 25 million Americans have asthma. This equals to about 1 in 13 Americans, including 8 percent of adults and 7 percent of children.1
• About 20 million U.S. adults age 18 and over have asthma. 1
• Asthma is more common in adult women than adult men.1
• It is the leading chronic disease in children. 2 Currently, there are about 5.1 million children under the age of 18 with asthma. 1
• Asthma is more common in boys than girls.1

Explore The Data: State

Asthma in Minnesota:Results From the 2017 Call-Back Survey The Asthma Call-Back Survey is a comprehensive survey of asthma in children and adults in Minnesota conducted annually since 2015. The telephone survey includes questions on asthma symptoms, work-related asthma, asthma management, asthma triggers in the home, asthma self-management education and access to care.

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Clinical Care Is Essential To Ensure That Asthma Is Being Properly Managed

Since asthma is a chronic condition, regular monitoring and education around how to manage asthma are key factors in well managed asthma. The SLCDC found that:

• 83.8% reported a family doctor or general practitioner was most responsible for their care.
• 62.3% reported having seen or talked to a family doctor or general practitioner about their condition in the past 12 months.
• 5.6% reported having seen or talked to an asthma or respiratory educator about their condition in the past 12 months.
• 77.8% reported ever receiving lung function testing.
• 65.2% reported ever having had allergy tests and 89.0% were told they have allergies.
• Individuals with uncontrolled asthma were more likely to report having received a written action plan from their health professional for asthma control compared to individuals with controlled asthma .

What Types Of Asthma Are There

Healthcare providers identify asthma as intermittent or persistent . Persistent asthma can be mild, moderate or severe. Healthcare providers base asthma severity on how often you have attacks. They also consider how well you can do things during an attack.

Asthma can be:

• Allergic: Some peoples can cause an asthma attack. Molds, pollens and other allergens can cause an attack.
• Non-allergic: Outside factors can cause asthma to flare up. Exercise, stress, illness and weather may cause a flare.

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The Economic Burden Of Asthma

Asthma is an extremely costly disease, costing the United States $81.9 billion annually 13

• 61% of these costs are medical 13
• 39% of costs are associated with absenteeism and mortality 13

The annual per-person medical costs for asthma are $3,266 annually 13. These costs break down as follows:

• $1,830 for medications 13

The Impact Of Asthma On Daily Life

Asthma is often under-diagnosed and under-treated, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

People with under-treated asthma can suffer sleep disturbance, tiredness during the day, and poor concentration. Asthma sufferers and their families may miss school and work, with financial impact on the family and wider community. If symptoms are severe, people with asthma may need to receive emergency health care and they may be admitted to hospital for treatment and monitoring. In the most severe cases, asthma can lead to death.

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Most Recent National Asthma Data

These tables feature the latest national and state statistics on the burden of asthma among children and adults. The data are from national and state surveillance systems administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Links to sources are provided with each table to assist with finding additional information on the data and relevant tables and reports.

Abbreviations: NH = Non-Hispanic, SE = Standard Error1Includes persons who answered “yes” to the questions: “Have you EVER been told by a doctor or other health professional that you had asthma?” and “Do you still have asthma?”2Numbers within selected characteristics may not sum to total due to rounding and varying missing values.3Poverty level is based on family income and family size using the U.S. Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds. Poverty level was calculated separately using 10 imputed income files.Source: 2019 National Health Interview Survey Data, Table 3-1 and Table 4-1 .

Current Asthma1 Prevalence by Race and Ethnicity

NationalPrevalence of Asthma Attacks1 among People with Current Asthma2 by Age

Prevalence of Asthma Attacks1 among People with Current Asthma2 by Race and Ethnicity

National

Asthma Morbidity & Mortality

There are just under 25 million people living with asthma in the United States, including:

• 5.5 million children under the age of 18 10
• 19.2 million adults 10

Of those who have ever had a diagnosis of asthma, many reported at least one or more asthma attack including:

• 51.6% of children 9

In 2017 3,564 people died from asthma 11:

• The asthma death rate is highest among people over the age of 65 11
• Adult females have a higher rate of death than males 11
• Among children, boys are more likely to die than girls 11
• Blacks are two to three times more likely to die from asthma than all other racial or ethnic groups 11

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