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{{Asthma}}
{{Asthma}}
{{CMG}}; [[Philip Marcus, M.D., M.P.H.]] [mailto:pmarcus192@aol.com]; '''Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief:''' {{VK}}
{{CMG}}; [[Philip Marcus, M.D., M.P.H.]] [mailto:pmarcus192@aol.com]; {{AE}} {{VK}}


==Overview==
==Overview==
Approximately 300 million people around the world currently have asthma<ref name="pmid15080825">{{cite journal| author=Masoli M, Fabian D, Holt S, Beasley R, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Program| title=The global burden of asthma: executive summary of the GINA Dissemination Committee report. | journal=Allergy | year= 2004 | volume= 59 | issue= 5 | pages= 469-78 | pmid=15080825 | doi=10.1111/j.1398-9995.2004.00526.x | pmc= | url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=15080825  }} </ref> and the number is estimated to increase by additional 100 million by the year 2025. Prevalence of asthma is high among children and females in industrialized nations. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), which measured the global prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms in children, demonstrated that the high rates of asthma were noted in countries whose predominant language is English<ref name="pmid19237391">{{cite journal| author=Lai CK, Beasley R, Crane J, Foliaki S, Shah J, Weiland S et al.| title=Global variation in the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms: phase three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). | journal=Thorax | year= 2009 | volume= 64 | issue= 6 | pages= 476-83 | pmid=19237391 | doi=10.1136/thx.2008.106609 | pmc= | url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=19237391  }} </ref>. Puerto Rican people have the highest prevalence of asthma in USA<ref name="pmid21355352">{{cite journal| author=Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Liu X| title=Asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality: United States, 2005-2009. | journal=Natl Health Stat Report | year= 2011 | volume=  | issue= 32 | pages= 1-14 | pmid=21355352 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>. Asthma accounts for 217,000 emergency room visits and 10.5 million physician office visits every year<ref name="pmid18958996">{{cite journal| author=Pitts SR, Niska RW, Xu J, Burt CW| title=National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2006 emergency department summary. | journal=Natl Health Stat Report | year= 2008 | volume=  | issue= 7 | pages= 1-38 | pmid=18958996 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>.
Approximately 300 million people around the world currently have asthma<ref name="pmid15080825">{{cite journal| author=Masoli M, Fabian D, Holt S, Beasley R, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Program| title=The global burden of asthma: executive summary of the GINA Dissemination Committee report. | journal=Allergy | year= 2004 | volume= 59 | issue= 5 | pages= 469-78 | pmid=15080825 | doi=10.1111/j.1398-9995.2004.00526.x | pmc= | url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=15080825  }} </ref> and the number is estimated to increase by additional 100 million by the year 2025. Prevalence of asthma is high among children and females in industrialized nations. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), which measured the global prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms in children, demonstrated that the high rates of asthma were noted in countries whose predominant language is English.<ref name="pmid19237391">{{cite journal| author=Lai CK, Beasley R, Crane J, Foliaki S, Shah J, Weiland S et al.| title=Global variation in the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms: phase three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). | journal=Thorax | year= 2009 | volume= 64 | issue= 6 | pages= 476-83 | pmid=19237391 | doi=10.1136/thx.2008.106609 | pmc= | url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=19237391  }} </ref> Puerto Rican people have the highest prevalence of asthma in USA.<ref name="pmid21355352">{{cite journal| author=Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Liu X| title=Asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality: United States, 2005-2009. | journal=Natl Health Stat Report | year= 2011 | volume=  | issue= 32 | pages= 1-14 | pmid=21355352 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref> Asthma accounts for 217,000 emergency room visits and 10.5 million physician office visits every year.<ref name="pmid18958996">{{cite journal| author=Pitts SR, Niska RW, Xu J, Burt CW| title=National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2006 emergency department summary. | journal=Natl Health Stat Report | year= 2008 | volume=  | issue= 7 | pages= 1-38 | pmid=18958996 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>


==Developed Countries==
==Epidemiology and Demographics==
Current research suggests that the [[prevalence]] of childhood asthma has been increasing. According to the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]'s National Health Interview Surveys, some 9% of US children below 18 years of age had asthma in 2001, compared with just 3.6% in 1980 (see figure). The [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) reports that some 8% of the Swiss population suffers from asthma today, compared with just 2% some 25–30 years ago.<ref name=WHO>{{cite web | author=World Health Organization | authorlink=World Health Organization | title=Bronchial asthma: scope of the problem | url=http://www.who.int/entity/respiratory/asthma/scope/en/index.html}}</ref>. In the U.S., urban residents, Hispanics, and African Americans are affected more than the population as a whole. Globally, asthma is responsible for around 180,000 deaths annually<ref name=WHO />.
===Age===
*Over 6% of children in the United States have been diagnosed with asthma, a 75% increase in recent decades. The rate soars to 40% among some populations of urban children.<ref name="pmid12165584">{{cite journal| author=Akinbami LJ, Schoendorf KC| title=Trends in childhood asthma: prevalence, health care utilization, and mortality. | journal=Pediatrics | year= 2002 | volume= 110 | issue= 2 Pt 1 | pages= 315-22 | pmid=12165584 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>


According to the National Health Statistic Reports, 2009, there is higher prevalence of asthma among people residing in northeast( 9.3%) and midwest (8.8%) regions of USA in comparison to those in south<ref name="pmid21355352">{{cite journal| author=Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Liu X| title=Asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality: United States, 2005-2009. | journal=Natl Health Stat Report | year= 2011 | volume=  | issue= 32 | pages= 1-14 | pmid=21355352 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>.
[[File:Asthma Prevalence- Adults versus Children.png|left|450px]]
 
==Developing Countries==
Although asthma is more common in affluent countries, it is by no means a problem restricted to the affluent; the WHO estimate that there are between 15 and 20 million asthmatics in India.
 
On the remote South Atlantic island Tristan da Cunha, 50% of the population are asthmatics due to heredity transmission of a mutation in the gene CC16. Rate of asthma increases as communities adopt western lifestyles and become urbanized<ref name="pmid15080825">{{cite journal| author=Masoli M, Fabian D, Holt S, Beasley R, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Program| title=The global burden of asthma: executive summary of the GINA Dissemination Committee report. | journal=Allergy | year= 2004 | volume= 59 | issue= 5 | pages= 469-78 | pmid=15080825 | doi=10.1111/j.1398-9995.2004.00526.x | pmc= | url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=15080825  }} </ref>.
 
==Impact of Age and Gender==
Males are affected more often during their childhood and the prevalence declines with age. On the contrary, prevalence rises among females steadily through childhood equaling that among males between ages 14-17 years. During adulthood, females report higher current asthma prevalence compared with men<ref name="pmid21355352">{{cite journal| author=Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Liu X| title=Asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality: United States, 2005-2009. | journal=Natl Health Stat Report | year= 2011 | volume=  | issue= 32 | pages= 1-14 | pmid=21355352 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>.
 
[[Image:Asthma prevalence.png|399px|thumb|left|The [[prevalence]] of childhood asthma has increased since 1980, especially in younger children]]
Over 6% of children in the United States have been diagnosed with asthma, a 75% increase in recent decades. The rate soars to 40% among some populations of urban children<ref name="pmid12165584">{{cite journal| author=Akinbami LJ, Schoendorf KC| title=Trends in childhood asthma: prevalence, health care utilization, and mortality. | journal=Pediatrics | year= 2002 | volume= 110 | issue= 2 Pt 1 | pages= 315-22 | pmid=12165584 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>.


<br clear="left"/>
<br clear="left"/>
===Gender===
*Males are affected more often during their childhood and the prevalence declines with age. On the contrary, prevalence rises among females steadily through childhood equaling that among males between ages 14-17 years.
*During adulthood, females report higher current asthma prevalence compared with men.<ref name="pmid21355352">{{cite journal| author=Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Liu X| title=Asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality: United States, 2005-2009. | journal=Natl Health Stat Report | year= 2011 | volume=  | issue= 32 | pages= 1-14 | pmid=21355352 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>
===Race===
* Asthma incidence and quality of treatment varies among different racial groups, though this may be due to correlations with income (and thus affordability of health care) and geography. For example, Black Americans are less likely to receive outpatient treatment for asthma despite having a higher prevalence of the disease. They are much more likely to have emergency room visits or hospitalization for asthma. They are also three times as likely to die from an asthma attack compared to whites.
* The prevalence of severe persistence asthma is also greater in low-income communities compared with communities with better access to treatment.<ref name="NIH2004">{{cite journal | author=National HAeart, Lung, and Blood Institute | title=Morbidity & Mortality: 2004 Chart Book On Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases | year=May 2004 | publisher=National Institutes of Health}}</ref><ref name="CDC2002">{{cite web | author=National Center for Health Statistics | title=Asthma Prevalence, Health Care Use and Mortality, 2002 | year=07 April 2006 | publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | url=http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/asthma/asthma.htm}}</ref>


==Socioeconomic Factors==
[[File:Asthma Prevalence- Race and Ethnicity.png|left|450px]]
The incidence of asthma is higher among low-income populations within a society (it is not more common in developed countries than developing countries <ref>http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs307/en/</ref>), which in the western world are disproportionately ethnic minorities, and more likely to live near industrial areas. Additionally, asthma has been strongly associated with the presence of cockroaches in living quarters, which is more likely in such neighborhoods<ref name=AAAAAI>{{cite web | title=Patient/Public Education: Fast Facts - Asthma Demographics/Statistics | publisher= American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology | url=http://www.aaaai.org/patients/resources/fastfacts/asthma_demographics.stm}}</ref>.
 
It is estimated that 15 million disability-adjusted life years(DALYs) are lost due to asthma worldwide per year and is similar to that for [[diabetes]], [[cirrhosis]] of the liver, or [[schizophrenia]]<ref name="pmid15080825">{{cite journal| author=Masoli M, Fabian D, Holt S, Beasley R, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Program| title=The global burden of asthma: executive summary of the GINA Dissemination Committee report. | journal=Allergy | year= 2004 | volume= 59 | issue= 5 | pages= 469-78 | pmid=15080825 | doi=10.1111/j.1398-9995.2004.00526.x | pmc= | url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=15080825  }} </ref>. Asthma cost the US about $3,300 per person with asthma each year from 2002 to 2007 in medical expenses, missed school and work days, and early deaths<ref>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vital Signs, May 2011[http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/asthma/]</ref>
 
==Impact of Ethnicity==
Asthma incidence and quality of treatment varies among different racial groups, though this may be due to correlations with income (and thus affordability of health care) and geography. For example, Black Americans are less likely to receive outpatient treatment for asthma despite having a higher prevalence of the disease. They are much more likely to have emergency room visits or hospitalization for asthma, and are three times as likely to die from an asthma attack compared to whites. The prevalence of "severe persistent" asthma is also greater in low-income communities compared with communities with better access to treatment.<ref name="NIH2004">{{cite journal | author=National HAeart, Lung, and Blood Institute | title=Morbidity & Mortality: 2004 Chart Book On Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases | year=May 2004 | publisher=National Institutes of Health}}</ref><ref name="CDC2002">{{cite web | author=National Center for Health Statistics | title=Asthma Prevalence, Health Care Use and Mortality, 2002 | year=07 April 2006 | publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | url=http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/asthma/asthma.htm}}</ref>.


{| class="wikitable" border="1"  
{| border="1" align="center" style="background:lightskyblue"
|+ Prevalence of asthma among different ethnicity in U.S.A<ref name="pmid21355352">{{cite journal| author=Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Liu X| title=Asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality: United States, 2005-2009. | journal=Natl Health Stat Report | year= 2011 | volume=  | issue= 32 | pages= 1-14 | pmid=21355352 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>
|+ '''Prevalence of asthma among different ethnicity in U.S.A<ref name="pmid21355352">{{cite journal| author=Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Liu X| title=Asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality: United States, 2005-2009. | journal=Natl Health Stat Report | year= 2011 | volume=  | issue= 32 | pages= 1-14 | pmid=21355352 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>'''
! Ethnicity !! Prevalence
|-
| White || 7.8%
|-
|-
| Black || 11.1%
| bgcolor="CornFlowerBlue"  style="text-align:center" |'''Ethnicity'''
| bgcolor="CornFlowerBlue"  style="text-align:center" |'''Prevalence'''
|-
|-
| American Indian or Alaska Native || 8.8%
| style="text-align:center" | White
| style="text-align:center" | 7.8%
|-
|-
| Asian || 5.3%
| style="text-align:center" | Black
| style="text-align:center" | 8.8%
|-
|-
| Non-Hispanic white || 8.2%
| style="text-align:center" | Asian
| style="text-align:center" | 5.3%
|-
|-
| Non-Hispanic black || 11.1%
| style="text-align:center" | Non-Hispanic white
| style="text-align:center" | 11.1%
|-
|-
| Total Hispanic || 6.3%
| style="text-align:center" | Total Hispanic
| style="text-align:center" | 6.3%
|-
|-
| Puerto Rican || 16.6%
| style="text-align:center" | Puerto Rican
| style="text-align:center" | 16.6%
|-
|-
| Mexican || 4.9%
| style="text-align:center" | Mexican
| style="text-align:center" | 4.9%
|}
|}
<br clear="left"/>


==Asthma and Athletics==
===Developed Countries===
Asthma appears to be more prevalent in athletes than in the general population. One survey of participants in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., showed that 15% had been diagnosed with asthma, and that 10% were on asthma medication. <ref name=olympics>Weiler JM, Layton T, Hunt M. Asthma in United States Olympic athletes who participated in the 1996 Summer Games. ''J Allergy Clin Immunol''. 1998;102(5):722-6. PMID 9819287</ref>
*Current research suggests that the [[prevalence]] of childhood asthma has been increasing.
These statistics have been questioned on at least two bases. Athletes with mild asthma may be more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than non-athletes, because even subtle symptoms may interfere with their performance and lead to pursuit of a diagnosis. It has also been suggested that some professional athletes who do not suffer from asthma claim to do so in order to obtain special permits to use certain performance-enhancing drugs.
*According to the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]'s National Health Interview Surveys, some 9% of US children below 18 years of age had asthma in 2001, compared with just 3.6% in 1980 (see figure).
*The [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) reports that some 8% of the Swiss population suffers from asthma today, compared with just 2% some 25–30 years ago.<ref name=WHO>{{cite web |  author=World Health Organization | authorlink=World Health Organization | title=Bronchial asthma: scope of the problem | url=http://www.who.int/entity/respiratory/asthma/scope/en/index.html}}</ref>
*In the U.S., urban residents, Hispanics, and African Americans are affected more than the population as a whole. Globally, asthma is responsible for 180,000 deaths annually.<ref name=WHO />
*According to the National Health Statistic Reports, 2009, there is higher prevalence of asthma among people residing in northeast (9.3%) and midwest (8.8%) regions of USA in comparison to those in south.<ref name="pmid21355352">{{cite journal| author=Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Liu X| title=Asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality: United States, 2005-2009. | journal=Natl Health Stat Report | year= 2011 | volume=  | issue= 32 | pages= 1-14 | pmid=21355352 | doi= | pmc= | url= }} </ref>


There appears to be a relatively high incidence of asthma in sports such as cycling, mountain biking, and long-distance [[running]], and a relatively lower incidence in weightlifting and diving. It is unclear how much of these disparities are from the effects of training in the sport, and from self-selection of sports that may appear to minimize the triggering of asthma.<!--
===Developing Countries===
*Although asthma is more common in affluent countries, it is by no means a problem restricted to the affluent; the WHO estimate that there are between 15 and 20 million asthmatics in India, a country whose per capita income is just around $3,500 USD.
*On the remote South Atlantic island Tristan da Cunha, 50% of the population are asthmatics due to heredity transmission of a mutation in the gene CC16.
*Studies suggest that, in developing countries, the rate of asthma increases as communities adopt western lifestyles and become urbanized.<ref name="pmid15080825">{{cite journal| author=Masoli M, Fabian D, Holt S, Beasley R, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Program| title=The global burden of asthma: executive summary of the GINA Dissemination Committee report. | journal=Allergy | year= 2004 | volume= 59 | issue= 5 | pages= 469-78 | pmid=15080825 | doi=10.1111/j.1398-9995.2004.00526.x | pmc= | url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=15080825  }} </ref>
===Socioeconomic Factors===
*The incidence of asthma is higher among low-income populations within a society (it is not more common in developed countries than developing countries,<ref>http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs307/en/</ref>) which in the western world are disproportionately ethnic minorities, and more likely to live near industrialized areas.
*Asthma has been strongly associated with the presence of cockroaches in living quarters, which is more likely in urban neighborhoods.<ref name=AAAAAI>{{cite web | title=Patient/Public Education: Fast Facts - Asthma Demographics/Statistics | publisher= American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology | url=http://www.aaaai.org/patients/resources/fastfacts/asthma_demographics.stm}}</ref>
* It is estimated that 15 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are lost worldwide due to asthma per year and is similar to that for [[diabetes]], [[cirrhosis]] of the liver, or [[schizophrenia]].<ref name="pmid15080825">{{cite journal| author=Masoli M, Fabian D, Holt S, Beasley R, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Program| title=The global burden of asthma: executive summary of the GINA Dissemination Committee report. | journal=Allergy | year= 2004 | volume= 59 | issue= 5 | pages= 469-78 | pmid=15080825 | doi=10.1111/j.1398-9995.2004.00526.x | pmc= | url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=15080825  }} </ref>
* Between 2002-2007, asthma cost the US roughly $3,300 USD per person affected with asthma in commoditizations/ quality of life measures such as medical expenses, missed school and work days, and early deaths.<ref>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vital Signs, May 2011[http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/asthma/]</ref>
 
===Asthma and Athletics===
*Asthma appears to be more prevalent in athletes than in the general population.
*One survey of participants in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., showed that 15% had been diagnosed with asthma and that 10% were on asthma medication.<ref name=olympics>Weiler JM, Layton T, Hunt M. Asthma in United States Olympic athletes who participated in the 1996 Summer Games. ''J Allergy Clin Immunol''. 1998;102(5):722-6. PMID 9819287</ref> These statistics have been questioned on at least two bases.
:* Athletes with mild asthma may be more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than non-athletes because even subtle symptoms may interfere with their performance and lead to pursuit of a diagnosis. It has also been suggested that some professional athletes who do not suffer from asthma claim to do so in order to obtain special permits to use certain performance-enhancing drugs.
:* There appears to be a relatively high incidence of asthma in sports such as cycling, mountain biking, and long-distance [[running]], and a relatively lower incidence in weightlifting and diving. It is unclear how much of these disparities are from the effects of training in the sport, and from self-selection of sports that may appear to minimize the triggering of asthma.<!--
   --><ref name=olympics /><!--
   --><ref name=olympics /><!--
   --><ref name=athletes>Helenius I, Haahtela T. Allergy and asthma in elite summer sport athletes. ''J Allergy Clin Immunol''. 2000;106(3):444-52 PMID 10984362</ref>
   --><ref name=athletes>Helenius I, Haahtela T. Allergy and asthma in elite summer sport athletes. ''J Allergy Clin Immunol''. 2000;106(3):444-52 PMID 10984362</ref>
 
* In addition, a variant of asthma called [[exercise-induced asthma]] shares many features with allergic asthma. It may occur either independently or concurrent with the latter. Exercise studies may be helpful in diagnosing and assessing this condition.
In addition, there exists a variant of asthma called [[exercise-induced asthma]] that shares many features with allergic asthma. It may occur either independently, or concurrent with the latter. Exercise studies may be helpful in diagnosing and assessing this condition.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist|2}}
{{WH}}
{{WS}}


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{{WS}}

Latest revision as of 20:30, 29 July 2020

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [2]; Philip Marcus, M.D., M.P.H. [3]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Varun Kumar, M.B.B.S. [4]

Overview

Approximately 300 million people around the world currently have asthma[1] and the number is estimated to increase by additional 100 million by the year 2025. Prevalence of asthma is high among children and females in industrialized nations. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), which measured the global prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms in children, demonstrated that the high rates of asthma were noted in countries whose predominant language is English.[2] Puerto Rican people have the highest prevalence of asthma in USA.[3] Asthma accounts for 217,000 emergency room visits and 10.5 million physician office visits every year.[4]

Epidemiology and Demographics

Age

  • Over 6% of children in the United States have been diagnosed with asthma, a 75% increase in recent decades. The rate soars to 40% among some populations of urban children.[5]


Gender

  • Males are affected more often during their childhood and the prevalence declines with age. On the contrary, prevalence rises among females steadily through childhood equaling that among males between ages 14-17 years.
  • During adulthood, females report higher current asthma prevalence compared with men.[3]

Race

  • Asthma incidence and quality of treatment varies among different racial groups, though this may be due to correlations with income (and thus affordability of health care) and geography. For example, Black Americans are less likely to receive outpatient treatment for asthma despite having a higher prevalence of the disease. They are much more likely to have emergency room visits or hospitalization for asthma. They are also three times as likely to die from an asthma attack compared to whites.
  • The prevalence of severe persistence asthma is also greater in low-income communities compared with communities with better access to treatment.[6][7]
Prevalence of asthma among different ethnicity in U.S.A[3]
Ethnicity Prevalence
White 7.8%
Black 8.8%
Asian 5.3%
Non-Hispanic white 11.1%
Total Hispanic 6.3%
Puerto Rican 16.6%
Mexican 4.9%


Developed Countries

  • Current research suggests that the prevalence of childhood asthma has been increasing.
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Interview Surveys, some 9% of US children below 18 years of age had asthma in 2001, compared with just 3.6% in 1980 (see figure).
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that some 8% of the Swiss population suffers from asthma today, compared with just 2% some 25–30 years ago.[8]
  • In the U.S., urban residents, Hispanics, and African Americans are affected more than the population as a whole. Globally, asthma is responsible for 180,000 deaths annually.[8]
  • According to the National Health Statistic Reports, 2009, there is higher prevalence of asthma among people residing in northeast (9.3%) and midwest (8.8%) regions of USA in comparison to those in south.[3]

Developing Countries

  • Although asthma is more common in affluent countries, it is by no means a problem restricted to the affluent; the WHO estimate that there are between 15 and 20 million asthmatics in India, a country whose per capita income is just around $3,500 USD.
  • On the remote South Atlantic island Tristan da Cunha, 50% of the population are asthmatics due to heredity transmission of a mutation in the gene CC16.
  • Studies suggest that, in developing countries, the rate of asthma increases as communities adopt western lifestyles and become urbanized.[1]

Socioeconomic Factors

  • The incidence of asthma is higher among low-income populations within a society (it is not more common in developed countries than developing countries,[9]) which in the western world are disproportionately ethnic minorities, and more likely to live near industrialized areas.
  • Asthma has been strongly associated with the presence of cockroaches in living quarters, which is more likely in urban neighborhoods.[10]
  • It is estimated that 15 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are lost worldwide due to asthma per year and is similar to that for diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, or schizophrenia.[1]
  • Between 2002-2007, asthma cost the US roughly $3,300 USD per person affected with asthma in commoditizations/ quality of life measures such as medical expenses, missed school and work days, and early deaths.[11]

Asthma and Athletics

  • Asthma appears to be more prevalent in athletes than in the general population.
  • One survey of participants in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., showed that 15% had been diagnosed with asthma and that 10% were on asthma medication.[12] These statistics have been questioned on at least two bases.
  • Athletes with mild asthma may be more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than non-athletes because even subtle symptoms may interfere with their performance and lead to pursuit of a diagnosis. It has also been suggested that some professional athletes who do not suffer from asthma claim to do so in order to obtain special permits to use certain performance-enhancing drugs.
  • There appears to be a relatively high incidence of asthma in sports such as cycling, mountain biking, and long-distance running, and a relatively lower incidence in weightlifting and diving. It is unclear how much of these disparities are from the effects of training in the sport, and from self-selection of sports that may appear to minimize the triggering of asthma.[12][13]
  • In addition, a variant of asthma called exercise-induced asthma shares many features with allergic asthma. It may occur either independently or concurrent with the latter. Exercise studies may be helpful in diagnosing and assessing this condition.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Masoli M, Fabian D, Holt S, Beasley R, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Program (2004). "The global burden of asthma: executive summary of the GINA Dissemination Committee report". Allergy. 59 (5): 469–78. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.2004.00526.x. PMID 15080825.
  2. ↑ Lai CK, Beasley R, Crane J, Foliaki S, Shah J, Weiland S; et al. (2009). "Global variation in the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms: phase three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)". Thorax. 64 (6): 476–83. doi:10.1136/thx.2008.106609. PMID 19237391.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Liu X (2011). "Asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality: United States, 2005-2009". Natl Health Stat Report (32): 1–14. PMID 21355352.
  4. ↑ Pitts SR, Niska RW, Xu J, Burt CW (2008). "National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2006 emergency department summary". Natl Health Stat Report (7): 1–38. PMID 18958996.
  5. ↑ Akinbami LJ, Schoendorf KC (2002). "Trends in childhood asthma: prevalence, health care utilization, and mortality". Pediatrics. 110 (2 Pt 1): 315–22. PMID 12165584.
  6. ↑ National HAeart, Lung, and Blood Institute (May 2004). "Morbidity & Mortality: 2004 Chart Book On Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases". National Institutes of Health.
  7. ↑ National Center for Health Statistics (07 April 2006). "Asthma Prevalence, Health Care Use and Mortality, 2002". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Check date values in: |year= (help)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 World Health Organization. "Bronchial asthma: scope of the problem".
  9. ↑ http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs307/en/
  10. ↑ "Patient/Public Education: Fast Facts - Asthma Demographics/Statistics". American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology.
  11. ↑ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vital Signs, May 2011[1]
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Weiler JM, Layton T, Hunt M. Asthma in United States Olympic athletes who participated in the 1996 Summer Games. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1998;102(5):722-6. PMID 9819287
  13. ↑ Helenius I, Haahtela T. Allergy and asthma in elite summer sport athletes. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2000;106(3):444-52 PMID 10984362

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