Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes the air passageways or bronchial tubes particularly sensitive to irritants. It is characterized by difficulty in breathing.
Asthma is ranked as a topmost chronic health condition in adults in most Western countries. It is also the leading chronic illness of children. The rate of asthma is on the increase particularly in the Western world.
Most people in Western countries suffer from allergies compared to people in the less affluent rural parts of the world, and allergy rates are also on the increase.
The United States Of America
An estimated 23.2 million people currently suffer from asthma in the United States of America. Almost 9 million of these asthma sufferers are below the age of 18, which is approximately 12% of children.
Asthma is the leading chronic illness of children in the United States of America and is the leading cause of school absenteeism because of chronic illness. Asthma causes about 500,000 hospitalizations and about 5,000 deaths annually.
Health care costs associated with asthma are estimated at US$14.5 billion per year. The number of deaths due to asthma, the number of Americans diagnosed with asthma, and the health care costs of asthma continue to increase each year.
The United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, 5.2 million people have asthma, which equates to 1 in 10 children and 1 in 12 adults. Each year 1,400 people die from asthma, and over a third of these deaths are among people under 65 years of age.
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Each year there are 69,000 hospital admissions due to asthma, which includes about 28,500 children. Approximately 1.2 million people with asthma experience important restrictions on their daily lives.
On the other hand, 250,000 people have asthma that is so severe that it cannot be controlled by strong medicine or inhalers. Asthma treatment costs the NHS an estimated £889 million per year.
Many people with asthma do not get the right information from their doctor when the asthma is diagnosed. Only 6% of the population receives a written self-management plan that explains the proper time to drink their medication, while only 3% are told when their asthma would get worse.
In a survey among 13- to 14-year-olds in 56 countries, the UK had the fifth highest prevalence rate for asthma.
The Land Down Under
More than two million people in Australia have asthma. In Australia, asthma is a widespread chronic health problem, and is something that must be taken seriously. However, the picture in Australia is different.
While asthma is on the increase, asthma deaths have been steadily declining for the past decade. It is widely accepted that Australia has some of the best and most affordable medications available, and are recognized as world leaders when it comes to asthma education and management. This is largely due to the intensive work of the National Asthma Council.
Generally Speaking
Even though asthma does affect people from all ages and walks of life, it often begins in childhood and is more common in children than in adults. More boys have asthma than girls, but in adulthood, a lower number of men have asthma than women.
Asthma also transcends all race but blacks have more asthma attacks and are more likely to be hospitalized for asthma attacks or to die from asthma compared to whites.
Globally, the prevalence of asthma continues to increase with more than 300 million people around the world suffering from asthma. In a number of countries the annual death toll due to asthma increases each year.
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