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May 15th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda TUESDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) — Asthma continues to take its
toll on Americans, with almost 19 million adults (8.2 percent) suffering
from the disorder in 2010, according to a report released Tuesday by the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC analysis also found that more than 29 million (almost 13
percent) of adults have been diagnosed with the illness at some point in
their lifetime.
Children are also being hit hard by the wheezing and discomfort of
asthma. According to the report, in 2010 about 10 million children had
been diagnosed with asthma in their lifetime and 7 million (9.4 percent)
still had asthma.
Rates of asthma are rising, not falling, the experts noted. From 2001
to 2010, the proportion of people with asthma increased by almost 15
percent. And by 2009, asthma accounted for nearly 3,400 deaths, nearly
480,000 hospitalizations, 1.9 million emergency department visits, and 8.9
million physician office visits.
One expert not connected to the report was not surprised by the
findings.
“This study highlights the tremendous problem asthma continues to be
in the United States,” said Dr. Jonathan Ilowite, associate chief of
pulmonary and critical care at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola,
N.Y. “It is the most common reason for children to miss school, and an
important cause of missed work in adults. Although the mortality from the
disease has been decreasing, [asthma] still causes over 3,000 deaths in
this country a year, and the costs for medical care, lost work and school,
and premature deaths are staggering.”
The new statistics bear that out. In 2008, for example, adults who were
currently employed and had one or more asthma attacks during the previous
12 months missed 14.2 million days of work due to asthma, the CDC said.
Children aged 5 to 17 who had one or more asthma attacks in the previous
12 months missed a total of 10.5 million days of school that year.
The total estimated societal cost of asthma in 2007 was $56 billion
(2009 dollars), including medical expenses ($50.1 billion), missed school
or work days ($3.8 billion) and premature death ($2.1 billion), the report
said.
The findings are based on state-by-state data gathered using the Asthma
Call-back Survey, which is conducted among people with asthma identified
by the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
“The information in this release is a stark reminder that asthma
continues to be major public health concern with a large financial impact
on families, the nation and our health care system,” Christopher Portier,
director of CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, said in an agency news
release.
Individual patients, their families and doctors can help mitigate the
suffering, however.
“A key component for adults and children is to create and follow an
asthma action plan. Significantly, this analysis reveals that more than
half of all children and more than two-thirds of all adults with asthma do
not have an individualized action plan. CDC encourages those with asthma
to work with their doctors to take control of this disease,” Portier
said.
May is National Asthma Awareness Month. Asthma is one of the most
common lifelong chronic diseases. It causes repeated episodes of wheezing,
breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing.
More information
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about asthma.
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