Asthma-19

Epidemiology - Intoduction

The highest levels of asthma in the world according to the Global INitiative for Asthma (GINA) report of February 2004[67] occurred for about 30% of children in Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia, or 20% of children in Peru, New Zealand and Australia according to the method of interview, and for about 25% of adults in Great Britain, Australia and Canada.

The United States also ranks highly. More than 6% of children in the United States have been diagnosed with asthma, a 75% increase in recent decades. The rate soars to 40% among some populations of urban children.

Current research suggests that the prevalence of childhood asthma has been increasing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Interview Surveys, some 9% of US children below 18 years of age had asthma in 2001, compared with just 3.6% in 1980 (see figure). The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that some 8% of the Swiss population suffers from asthma today, compared with just 2% some 25–30 years ago. Although asthma is more common in affluent countries, it is by no means a problem restricted to the affluent; the WHO estimate that there are between 15 and 20 million asthmatics in India. In the U.S., urban residents, Hispanics, and African Americans are affected more than the population as a whole. Globally, asthma is responsible for around 180,000 deaths annually.

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