Meredith G.

Hennon, MPH
and the Supercourse
team in Pittsburgh
Background
 Asthma is a chronic lung-disease that
inflames and narrows the airways (tubes
that bring air into and out of an
individual’s lungs).

 Asthma is the most common chronic

disease among children.
Symptoms
 Common symptoms of asthma include:
Coughing
Wheezing
Tightness in the chest
Shortness of breath
Causes
 While the exact cause of asthma is not
known, it is thought that a variety of factors
interacting with one another, early in life,
result in the development of asthma.
Causes
 Parents with asthma
 Atopy
 Childhood respiratory infections
 Exposure to allergens or infections while
the immune system is developing
Diagnosis
 Based on:
Medical history
Physical examination
Test results
Asthma Triggers
 A variety of things can cause asthma
symptoms to appear:
○ Allergens
○ Irritants
○ Food and drinks
○ Medicines
○ Physical activity
○ Upper respiratory infections (viral)
Asthma prevalence
 In the United States:
More females than males have asthma.
Blacks and American Indian/Alaska natives
have higher percentages of asthma than
Whites, Hispanics, and Asians.
Asthma prevalence,
2005
Lifetime asthma diagnosis,
2005
Asthma disparities
 Death from asthma is 3 times more
likely to occur among Blacks than
Whites.
 Among adults, women of all races have
higher rates of illness and death from
asthma than men.
 Rates of hospitalization for asthma for
Blacks are almost triple those for
Whites.
Number of asthma deaths
per 100,000 population,
2003
Increasing rates
 Asthma rates have been increasing in
the United States for both adults and
children, males and females, and in the
different races and ethnicities.
 It is estimated that the number of people
with asthma worldwide will increase by
25% in the next 15 years.
 Child and Adult Asthma
Prevalence
United States, 1980-2007
• Child Lifetime

 Adult

Current

12-Month

Source: National Health Interview Survey; CDC National Center for Health Statistics
 Asthma Prevalence by Sex
United States, 1980-2007
• Female
Lifetime
 Male

12-Month

Current

Source: National Health Interview Survey; CDC National Center for Health Statistics
 Asthma Prevalence by
Race/Ethnicity
United States, 1997-2007
▲ Black NH
Lifetime
 White NH
 Hispanic

Current

Source: National Health Interview Survey; National Center for Health Statistics
Worldwide Burden of
Asthma
 300 million people suffer from asthma
worldwide.

255,000 asthma deaths in 2005.

○ ~3,500 in the United States.

Over 80% of asthma deaths occur in low

and lower-middle income countries.
Treatment
 While asthma cannot be cured, it can be
controlled:
Medications
○ Long term
○ Quick relief
○ Bronchial thermoplasty
Learning to recognize one’s own triggers and
taking steps to avoid them.
Treatment
 Medication
Long term
○ Inhaled corticosteroid
○ Leukotriene modifiers
○ Long-acting beta agonists
○ Combination inhalers
Treatment
Quick relief (rescue) medications
○ Short-acting beta agonists
○ Ipratropium
○ Oral and intravenous corticosteroids
Bronchial thermoplasty
Recognizing, tracking, and avoiding triggers
Review Questions
(Developed by the
Supercourse team)
 What are some of the common asthma
triggers?
 Which age, sex, and/or racial groups
see disparities in asthma prevalence
rates, as well as hospitalizations and
deaths?
 Describe the process of asthma
diagnosis.