United States Indoor Environments Division EPA 402-F-04-019 Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation (6609J) May 2007 Asthma is a rapidly growing public health problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: • 22 million people, including 6.5 million children, have asthma. * Asthma prevalence is higher among families with lower incomes. • 12 million people report having an asthma attack in the past year. • Asthma accounts for nearly 15 million outpatient clinic visits, and nearly 2 million emergency department visits each year. • African Americans continue to have higher rates of asthma emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths than do Caucasians: * The rate of emergency department visits is 350% higher. * The hospitalization rate is 240% higher. * The asthma death rate is 200% higher. • Approximately 2 million Hispanics in the U.S. have asthma and Puerto Ricans are disproportionately impacted: *The rate of asthma among Puerto Ricans is 125% higher than non-Hispanic white people and 80% higher than non-Hispanic black people. * The prevalence of asthma attacks is highest among Puerto Ricans. Asthma in Children: • Asthma is the most common serious chronic disease of childhood. • Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among children under 15. • Asthma in children is the cause of seven million physician visits and nearly 200,000 hospitalizations. * Asthma accounts for one-third of all pediatric emergency room visits and is the fourth-most common cause of pediatric visits to the doctor's office. * An average of one out of every 13 school-aged child has asthma. * Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism from a chronic childhood condition. * 13 million school days are missed each year due to asthma. ------- The Cost of Asthma: • Annual expenditures for health and lost productivity due to asthma are estimated at $16 billion, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Asthma and the Environment: Research by EPA and others has shown that • Dust mites, molds, cockroaches, pet dander, and secondhand smoke trigger asthma attacks. • Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause asthma in pre-school aged children. • Exposure to dust mites can cause asthma. • Ozone and particle pollution can cause asthma attacks. * When ozone levels are high, more people with asthma have attacks that require a doctor's attention. * Ozone makes people more sensitive to asthma triggers such as pet dander, pollen, dust mites, and mold. ------- |