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Diseases » Asthma » Summary

What is Asthma?

Contents

Asthma: Introduction
Types of Asthma
Prognosis
Complications
Prevalence
Other names for Asthma
Who gets Asthma?
What causes Asthma?
What are the symptoms of Asthma?
Organs Affected by Asthma
Can anyone else get Asthma?
How is it treated?
Society issues for Asthma
Asthma: Introduction

What is Asthma?

Asthma: Repeated attacks of breathing difficulty.
Asthma: form of bronchial disorder associated with airway obstruction, marked by recurrent attacks of paroxysmal dyspnea, with wheezing due to spasmodic contraction of the bronchi.
Source - Diseases Database
Asthma: respiratory disorder characterized by wheezing; usually of allergic origin.
Source - WordNet 2.1

Asthma: Introduction

Types of Asthma:

Types of Asthma:

Broader types of Asthma:

How many people get Asthma?

Prevalance of Asthma: 6.4% USA (NIAID); 17 million Americans (NIAID) including 5 million children; 8.1 million children (NHIS-97), 51 per 1000 - NHIS95; 14.5 million; 5% of population (NWHIC); 14.9 million in 1995 (NHLBI)
Prevalance Rate of Asthma: approx 1 in 15 or 6.40% or 17.4 million people in USA [about data]
Prevalance of Asthma: Asthma affects more than 5% of the population of the US, including children. (Source: Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology) ... Asthma affects an estimated 17 million Americans or 6.4 percent of the U.S. population. Children account for 4.8 million of the nation's asthma sufferers. (Source: excerpt from Asthma A Concern for Minority Populations, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID) ... Approximately 5% of the population have asthma, but the basic cause of asthma is not yet understood. (Source: excerpt from ASTHMA: NWHIC)

Who gets Asthma?

Gender Profile for Asthma: Women 3:1.

Gender Profile for Asthma: From the ages of 20 to 50, women outnumber men 3 to 1 in asthma-related hospital admissions. There is some evidence that asthma may be related to hormonal changes in combination with an allergic setting. The severity of asthma may change for women during pregnancy. In general, symptoms in pregnant women with asthma seem to improve in one-third of cases, stay the same in one-third, and worsen in one-third of cases. (Source: excerpt from Allergies: NWHIC)

Race Profile for Asthma: Asthma affects slightly more African Americans (5.8 percent) than Americans of European descent (5.1 percent). In 1993, however, blacks were 3 to 4 times more likely than whites to be hospitalized for asthma. (Source: excerpt from Asthma A Concern for Minority Populations, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

How serious is Asthma?

Complications of Asthma: see complications of Asthma
Prognosis of Asthma: Almost all asthma patients can become free of symptoms with proper treatment. Patients and their families should expect nothing less. (Source: excerpt from NHLBI - Your Asthma Can Be Controlled: NHLBI)
Deaths for Asthma: 5,637 deaths in 1995 (NHLBI); 4,657 deaths reported in USA 1999 (NVSR Sep 2001); approximately 5,000 deaths annually (NIAID)

What causes Asthma?

Causes of Asthma: see causes of Asthma
Risk factors for Asthma: see risk factors for Asthma

What are the symptoms of Asthma?

Symptoms of Asthma: see symptoms of Asthma

Complications of Asthma: see complications of Asthma

Can anyone else get Asthma?

Inheritance: see inheritance of Asthma

Asthma: Testing

Diagnostic testing: see tests for Asthma.

Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Asthma.

How is it treated?

Doctors and Medical Specialists for Asthma: General practitioner, Primary care physician, Pulmonologist, Immunologist, Allergist, Physiotherapist, Physiologist, Cardiologist, Pediatrician, Otolaryngologist, Food allergy specialist, Psychologist, Occupation medicine specialist, Ophthalmologist, Gastroenterologist ; see also doctors and medical specialists for Asthma.
Treatments for Asthma: see treatments for Asthma
Prevention of Asthma: see prevention of Asthma
Research for Asthma: see research for Asthma

Society issues for Asthma

Costs of Asthma: $14.0 billion with $9.4b direct, $2.7b morbidity, $1.9b mortality (NHLBI 2002)
Costs of Asthma: In 1990, costs related to asthma were estimated to total $6.2 billion; the projected cost of asthma in this country for the year 2000 is expected to double to $14.5 billion. (Source: excerpt from Facts About Asthma: CDC-OC)
Hospitalizations for Asthma: 478,000 (NHLBI 1999)

Hospitalization statistics for Asthma: The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Asthma:

500,000 hospitalizations annually in the US (Mayo Clinic)
1.5 million ED visits in 1995 (NHLBI)
201 males per 100,000 population are hospitalised with asthma in Australia 2001-2002 (Australia’s Health 2004, AIHW)
217 females per 100,000 population are hospitalised with asthma in Australia 2001-2002 (Australia’s Health 2004, AIHW)
0.49% (62,273) of hospital consultant episodes were for asthma in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
83% of hospital consultant episodes for asthma required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
more statistics...»

Physician office visits for Asthma: 9,498,000 (NHLBI 1999)
Physician office visit statistics for Asthma: The following are statistics from various sources about physician office visits and Asthma:

11.3 million people visited a physicians office for asthma in the US 2001 (National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2001 Summary, NCHS, CDC)
11,280,000 people visited a physician’s office for asthma in the US 2001 (National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2001)
1.9 million people visited the emergency hospital department for asthma in the US 2002 (National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2002 Summary, NCHS, CDC)
1.2 million people visited a hospital outpatient department for asthma in the US 2002 (National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2002 Summary, NCHS, CDC)
more statistics...»