Effects of Asthma
In the U.S., asthma is the sixth-ranking chronic condition. Other pertinent facts and figures about the effects of the disorder in the U.S., from the American Lung Assn.:
* It’s the leading serious chronic illness of children.
* It’s the No. 1 cause of school days lost to chronic conditions, or an estimated average of 7.3 days missed annually.
* It brings some 1.8 million people to the emergency room each year.
* Some 14.6 million Americans have the disorder. Of those, 4.8 million are younger than 18.
* In 1995, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 5,637 deaths due to asthma were recorded. Of those who died, 2,079 were male; 3,558 were female.
* From 1982 to 1994, the rate per thousand people who have asthma increased to 56.1 from 34.8. During the same time, the pediatric asthma rate rose to 69.1 from 40.1.
* Although African Americans make up about 13% of the population, they account for 22% of deaths due to asthma.
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