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This section of the website offers you a number of general facts and
figures about asthma, allergies and tobacco smoke. If you have a
particular question about any of these topics and you can't find the
answer here, take a look at the FAQ or
"Question of the Month" sections
and hopefully we can help you find your answer there! Also, the national
website (www.aafa.org) has additional information on all of these
topics.
ASTHMA
- Asthma has become an epidemic, with the number of cases in the
United States tripling in the past 20 years.
- According to the most recent 2001 statistics from the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC), 7.2% of U.S. adults have current asthma.
Massachusetts is the state with the highest rate of self-reported
asthma at 9.5%, Maine and Rhode Island are next at 9.4%, and all the
New England states have higher than average rates. (See www.cdc.gov
)
- Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease and affects more than one
child in every fifteen under the age of 18.
- The cost of asthma in 2000 was estimated to be $20 billion,
exceeding the combined total costs of AIDS and tuberculosis.
- Approximately 18 million Americans suffer from asthma, and 6
million of those people are under the age of 18.
- The prevalence of asthma is higher among children than adults, and
higher among Afro-Americans than Caucasians.
- More females die of asthma than males and more Afro-Americans die
of asthma than Caucasians.
- Among children ages 5 to 17, asthma is the leading cause of school
absences from a chronic illness and is responsible for more
hospitalizations than any other childhood disease.
- Asthma also accounts for about 1.8 million emergency room visits
and 10 million doctors' office visits a year.
- Each day 14 Americans die from asthma.
ALLERGIES
- Allergic disease, including allergic asthma, is the country's most
common and costly illness.
- Thirty-eight percent of all Americans suffer from some sort of
allergic condition, including allergic asthma.
- Allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the United States.
- Allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in children, limiting activities in more than 40 percent of these children.
- An estimated two million Americans develop severe allergic
reactions to insect stings.
- There are an estimated 42,000 cases of adverse drug reactions reported annually.
- An estimated two million school days are lost each year due to allergies, with an indirect cost reaching $4 billion.
- Allergy sufferers account for more than 8.4 million physician visits each year, and $225 million is spent on physician services annually.
- From 1 to 2 percent of adults have true food allergies, but anybody of any age can have sudden allergic reactions to a food that had previously not been a problem to them.
- Approximately 200 deaths per year are due to food allergies.
TOBACCO & SMOKING
- Tobacco smoke triggers asthma symptoms and makes people with asthma more vulnerable to attacks.
- Tobacco smoke harms 50 million Americans with asthma and allergies.
- Exposure to tobacco smoke worsens symptoms of asthma in 200,000 to 1 million children.
- Studies show that 90% of the new tobacco users are children and teens.
- 90% of adults who currently use tobacco began before the age of 18. Tobacco is addictive.
- Children of mothers who smoke are twice as likely to develop asthma.
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