ATLANTA, May 16 (UPI) -- An estimated 29 million U.S. adults have been diagnosed with asthma in their lifetimes, and 19 million still have asthma, federal health officials say.
"Asthma's Impact on the Nation," a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in 2010, an estimated 13.6 percent of children, about 10 million, had been diagnosed with asthma in their lifetimes, and 7 million still had asthma.
During 2001-2010, the proportion of people with asthma in the United States increased by 14.8 percent.
Christopher J. Portier, director of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, said in 2008, children ages 5-17 had one or more asthma attacks in the previous 12 months. causing them to miss 10.5 million days of school.
In 2009, asthma accounted for 3,388 deaths, 479,300 hospitalizations, 1.9 million emergency department visits, and 8.9 million physician office visits, the report said.
"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 healthcare system," Portier said in a statement. "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."
