What is Asthma?

Asthma is an inflammatory disease that congests the airways of the human body and is a chronic condition. While the cause of asthma is unknown, what is known is that asthma affects people differently in a variety of ways though usually through allergies.

Because asthma attacks constrict the muscles of the bronchi, airways become swollen and make breathing difficult for the patient. There are 60 million Americans that currently suffer from asthma and allergies, which means that on a daily basis one in four people:

• 40,000 men and women lose productivity in school or work due to asthma
• 30,000 men and women have an asthma attack
• 5,000 men and women go to the emergency room due to asthmatic conditions
• 1,000 men and women are admitted into a hospital due to asthmatic conditions
• Statistically 11 people will die each day from asthma

Asthma Prevalence in America

• As more than 20million Americans currently suffer from asthma that is has increased dramatically since 1980 and affects everyone regardless of race, sex and age.
• Asthma is the number one chronic condition that affects children in the United States
• More than 5 million asthma patients are under the age of 18, effecting one in 20 children
• For school age children, asthma is the prevailing cause of all school absences and is responsible for more than 14 million cumulative missed school days a year
• Asthma is responsible for an entire quarter of all emergency room visits in the United States on a annual basis
• The yearly cost of treating and medicating asthma patients and symptoms is more than $18 billion