Trends in Asthma Prevalence, Health Care Use, and Mortality in the United States, 2001-2010

U.S. DEPA Asthma is a common chronic airway disorder characterized by periods of reversible airflow obstruction known as asthma attacks (1). Airflow is obstructed by inflammation and airway hyperreactivity (contraction of the small muscles surrounding the airways) in reaction to certain exposures (1). Exposures include exercise, infection, allergens (e.g., pollen), occupational exposures (e.g., chemicals), and airborne irritants (e.g., environmental tobacco smoke) (1). Symptoms may include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness (1). It is not clear how to prevent asthma from developing and there is no cure (1). Yet the means to control and prevent exacerbations in persons who have asthma are well established in evidence-based clinical guidelines (1). This report presents recent data for trends in asthma prevalence, health care encounters, and mortality.