It is estimated that around 9.9 percent of adults in the United States currently have asthma, with this rate as high as 13 percent in the states of Rhode Island, Maine, and New Hampshire. Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the airways of the lungs. It can be mild or severe and is caused by genetic and environmental factors. Symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, tightness or pain in the chest, coughing, and wheezing. The
is highest among those aged 20 to 24 years, and females are generally more likely to suffer from the disease than males, although males have a higher chance of childhood asthma. In 2022, the
Asthma attacks
An asthma attack is a sudden worsening of symptoms that can be caused by certain allergens, illnesses, or strenuous exercise. Early warning signs of an asthma attack include frequent coughing, easily losing breath, feeling tired, and trouble sleeping. In 2021, around 40 percent of
adults in the U.S. with asthma reported experiencing an asthma attack within the last 12 months, the lowest rate recorded over the past two decades. Similarly, in 2021 the
prevalence of asthma attacks among children was also it's lowest in the past 20 years, with 39 percent of children with asthma reporting an attack that year. Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native
children reported the highest prevalence of asthma attacks in 2019-2021, while non-Hispanic Black children had the lowest rates.
Do people die from asthma?
As asthma can be controlled, deaths from asthma are rare with it being the underlying
cause of death in less than one out of 100,000 population in 2022.
Older adults have the highest rates of death due to asthma, while children have the lowest deaths rates. The U.S.
states with the highest death rates from asthma include Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma. Medications for asthma include those that treat acute symptoms, as well as medicines which prevent further exacerbation, with inhaled corticosteroids the most common and effective medicines for long-term control.
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