Asthma prevalence in the United States rose from 7.3% in 2001 to 8.4% in 2010, an increase of 15%, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics.
The number of asthma-related visits to physician offices and hospital outpatient departments dropped from 61.9 per 100 persons with asthma in 2001 to 47.8 per 100 in 2009. The number of visits to emergency departments, however, remained stable: 8.2 per 100 persons with asthma in 2001 and 8.4 per 100 in 2009. Hospitalizations were also stable, going from 2.2 per 100 persons with asthma in 2001 to 2.0 per 100 in 2009, the NCHS noted.
The total number of Americans with asthma in 2010 was 25.7 million. For the period from 2008 to 2010, the average annual prevalence was higher for blacks and American Indian/Alaska Natives than for whites, Hispanics, or Asians. (See below.) Asthma prevalence among Hispanics of Puerto Rican descent was three times higher than among those of Mexican descent.
The death rate for asthma dropped from 0.21 per 1,000 persons with asthma in 2001 to 0.14 per 1,000 in 2009, according to the report.
Note: Based on data from the National Health Interview Survey.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics