Asthma prevalence in US rose from 1990 to 2019
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Key takeaways:
- The number of asthma cases in the U.S. grew by about 10 million between 1990 and 2019.
- Nevada had the highest annual percentage of change in asthma incidence and deaths.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Between 1990 and 2019, asthma prevalence rose in the U.S., according to a poster presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.
“The past 30 years have shown us the undeniable and substantial burden asthma has imposed in our nation,” Victor O. Adedara, BSc, MS, medical student at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, said during his presentation. “It’s not just about numbers or statistics, it’s about real people, families and the fabric of our society.”
In this study, Adedara and colleagues evaluated asthma prevalence, incidence, disability-adjusted life years and mortality between 1990 and 2019 in the U.S. with use of Global Burden of Disease methodology.
Comparing the total number of asthma prevalence cases between the 2 years, researchers found more than 10 million more cases in 2019 than in 1990 (33,954,467 cases vs. 23,477,765 cases).
From 1990 to 2019, there was a 19% drop in the annual percentage of change (APC) in deaths, a 10% rise in the APC in age-standardized incidence rate and a 4% rise in the APC in disability-adjusted life year rate.
The states with the largest APCs in the number of incidence cases of asthma included Nevada (164% increase) and Arizona (90% increase), according to the poster.
Nevada also demonstrated the greatest APC in deaths (61% increase), whereas Alaska had the second highest APC (38% increase).
Rather than one age group having the highest number of asthma incidence cases, deaths and disability-adjusted life years in 2019, different groups represented each category. Incidence cases were highest among 1- to 4-year-olds (984,252 cases), whereas death occurred the most in those aged 55 to 59 years, according to the poster.
Further, researchers found the highest disability-adjusted life years among children between the ages of 5 and 9 years.
“While we have made strides in understanding and managing asthma, there’s a long road ahead,” Adedara said. “It is imperative that we double down our efforts to curtail asthma prevalence, break disparities and [improve] the quality of care provided to the affected.”