Asthma: Children and Adolescents | CDC APRHB

Asthma: Children and Adolescents | CDC APRHB: "Asthma's Impact on Children and Adolescents

Asthma is a major public health problem of increasing concern in the United States. From 1980 to 1996, asthma prevalence among children increased by an average of 4.3% per year, from 3.6% to 6.2%. Low-income populations, minorities, and children living in inner cities experience disproportionately higher morbidity and mortality due to asthma. Asthma’s effects on children and adolescents include the following:

• Asthma accounts for 14 million lost days of school missed annually.
  
• Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15 years of age.
  
• The number of children dying from asthma increased almost threefold from 93 in 1979 to 266 in 1996.
  
• The estimated cost of treating asthma in those younger than 18 years of age is $3.2 billion per year.