Here are some staggering facts about asthma from the World Asthma Foundation. With facts like these it’s great to know that ColdAvenger is here to help those with asthma in cold weather conditions. Read here how ColdAvenger benefits those suffering from asthma in cold weather.
Asthma Facts and Asthma Statistics
Every day in America Alone:
* 40,000 people miss school or work due to asthma.
* 30,000 people have an asthma attack.
* 5,000 people visit the emergency room due to asthma.
* 1,000 people are admitted to the hospital due to asthma.
* 11 people die from asthma.
Worldwide the Number of Asthma Cases Reported Are Staggering
Prevalence
* An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from asthma (1 in 15 Americans), and 50% of asthma cases are “allergic-asthma.” The prevalence of asthma has been increasing since the early 1980s across all age, sex and racial groups.
* Asthma is the most common chronic condition among children.
* Asthma is more common among adult women than adult men.
* Asthma is more common among male children than female children.
* Asthma is more common among children (7 to 10%) than adults (3 to 5%).
* Nearly 5 million asthma sufferers are under age 18. It is the most common chronic childhood disease, affecting more than one child in 20.
* Asthma is slightly more prevalent among African Americans than Caucasians.
* Ethnic differences in asthma prevalence, morbidity and mortality are highly correlated with poverty, urban air quality, indoor allergens, and lack of patient education and inadequate medical care.
Morbidity
* Asthma accounts for one-quarter of all emergency room visits in the U.S. each year, with 2 million emergency room visits.
* Each year, asthma accounts for more than 10 million outpatient visits and 500,000 hospitalizations.
* The average length of stay (LOS) for asthma hospitalizations is 3 days.
* Nearly half (44%) of all asthma hospitalizations are for children.
* Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization children.
* Asthma is the #1 cause of school absenteeism among children accounting for more than 14 million total missed days of school.
* African Americans are three times more likely to be hospitalized from asthma.
Mortality
* Each day 11 Americans die from asthma. There are more than 4,000 deaths due to asthma each year, many of which are avoidable with proper treatment and care. In addition, asthma is indicated as “contributing factor” for nearly 7,000 other deaths each year.
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Since 1980 asthma death rates overall have increased more than 50% among all genders, age groups and ethnic groups. The death rate for children under 19 years old has increased by nearly 80% percent since 1980.
* More females die of asthma than males, and women account for nearly 65% of asthma deaths overall.
* African Americans are three times more likely to die from asthma. African American Women have the highest asthma mortality rate of all groups, more than 2.5 times higher than Caucasian women.
Social and Economic Costs
* The annual cost of asthma is estimated to be nearly $18 billion.
* Direct costs accounted for nearly $10 billion (hospitalizations the single largest portion of direct cost) and indirect costs of $8 billion (lost earnings due to illness or death).
* For adults, asthma is the fourth leading cause of work absenteeism and “presenteeism,” resulting in nearly 15 million missed or lost (“less productive”) workdays each year (this accounts for nearly $3 billion of the “indirect costs” shown above).
* Among children ages 5 to 17, asthma is the leading cause of school absences from a chronic illness. It accounts for an annual loss of more than 14 million school days per year (approximately 8 days for each student with asthma) and more hospitalizations than any other childhood disease. It is estimated that children with asthma spend an nearly 8 million days per year restricted to bed.
Asthma ranks among the mostcommon chronic conditions in the United States, affecting an estimated 14.9 million persons in 1995 and causing over 1.5 million emergency department visits, about 500,000 hospitalizations, and over 5,500 deaths. The estimated direct and indirect monetary costs for this disease totaled $11.3 billion in 1998. Asthma disproportionately affects children and blacks.
Within the general population, asthma affects females more than males; however, among children, it affects males more. The burden of asthma has been increasing over the past 20 years, especially among children.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) initiated the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) to educate asthma patients, health
care professionals, and the public about asthma and its treatment.
To assist in planning and evaluation, and to encourage program planners, health administrators, and others to become more involved in asthma education, the NAEPP has
developed this Data Fact Sheet on Asthma Statistics to indicate the magnitude of the problem.
Prevalence
In 1995, the prevalence of selfreported asthma was 56.8 per 1,000 persons. The prevalence was higher among children than adults and higher among blacks than whites. Among the general population, the prevalence of asthma was higher among females than
males (Figure 1); however, among children, the prevalence was higher
among males. The prevalence of asthma has been increasing since the early 1980s for
all age, sex, and racial groups. The overall age-adjusted prevalence of asthma rose from 30.7 per 1,000 population in 1980 to a 2-year average of 53.8 per 1,000 in 1993-
94. This represents an increase of 75 percent. The prevalence among children ages 5 to 14 increased 74percent, from 42.8 per 1,000 in1980 to an average of 74.4 per
1,000 in 1993-94. Among children up to 4 years of age, asthma prevalence increased 160 percent, from 22.2 per 1,000, the lowest prevalence among any age group,
to a 2-year average of 57.8 per 1,000 in 1993-94, the second highest prevalence behind children ages 5 to 14 (Figure 2).
Emergency Department Visits
The overall age-adjusted rate of emergency room visits for asthma increased between 1992 (58.8 per10,000) and 1995 (70.7 per 10,000) with a slight drop between 1993m and 1994. The age-adjusted rate among males increased from 55.5 per 10,000 in 1992 to 57.8 per
10,000 in 1995; among females, the rate increased from 61.4 to 82.3 per 10,000. Differences in the rates between males and females have been increasing in more recent
years (Figure 3).
Hospitalizations
In 1995, the overall hospitalization rate for asthma was 19.5 discharges
per 10,000 population, with an average length of stay of 3.7 days. Females had a higher hospitalization rate than didmales (22.4 versus 16.5 per 10,000, respectively) and a
longer length of stay (4.1 versus 3.2 days). The rate among blacks was three and a half times that among whites (42.7 versus 11.8 per 10,000, respectively) (Figure 4), but the lengths of staywere about the same (6.4 and 6.5 per 10,000, respectively).
Costs of Asthma
The cost of asthma in 1998 was estimated to be $11.3 billion. Direct costs accounted for $7.5 billion and indirect costs were $3.8 billion. Hospitalizations accounted for the single largest portion of the cost (Figure 6). Male Female
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