Asthma Facts and Figures

For someone who has asthma, there is no mistaking the signs of an attack: the airways become inflamed and constricted causing difficult breathing. Wheezing, coughing, and a tight feeling in the chest are also symptoms of asthma—and in severe cases, these symptoms become deadly. Every DAY in America:

• 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.

Since 1 out of 4 Americans suffer from allergies or asthma, the number of emergency room visits and hospital stays relating to these two conditions is staggering:

• 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.
• Since 1980, the number of deaths relating to asthma has risen dramatically: Each day 11 Americans die from asthma. There are more than 4000 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 7000 other deaths each year.
• 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.

The cost of asthma is not only the loss of life or quality of life—the necessary resources to treat asthmatics are expensive yet indispensable:

• 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.

Pretty SCARY, huh? And you didn't think clean air mattered….

To your health!

Dan Buglio