Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Asthma, numbers



Asthma prevalence reached its highest level ever in 2010 -- 8.4% of the population, up from 7.3% in 2001, according to the CDC.



That translates into 18.7 million adults and 7 million children who had been diagnosed with asthma and still had the condition in 2010, the agency said in a report called Asthma's Impact on the Nation.



In 2009, asthma accounted for 3,388 deaths, 479,300 hospital admissions, 1.9 million emergency department visits, and 8.9 million visits to doctors' offices.



On the other hand, the agency reported, deaths from the disease have been declining from 2001 through 2009, as have visits for asthma to physician offices and hospital outpatient departments.



The death rate per 1,000 people with asthma was 0.14 in 2009, down from 0.21 in 2001, while the rate of primary care encounters was 47.8 per 100 asthma patients in 2009, down from 61.9 in 2001.



Hospital admissions and emergency room visits have been stable, the agency reported. The 2009 rates per 100 asthma patients were 8.4 and 2.0, respectively.



Asthma costs the U.S. $56 billion a year, with the average yearly cost of care for a child with asthma reaching $1,039 in 2009, the CDC reported.

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