Asthma

Asthma is becoming a bigger and bigger health problem in the United States. One in 12 people (about 25 million, or 8% of the population) had asthma in 2009, compared with 1 in 14 (about 20 million, or 7%) in 2001.. Five million U.S. children are asthmatic - more than the entire population of South Carolina.

South Carolinians share this burden. Asthma is the most common chronic disease and the leading cause of disability in children under 18 years old in our state. The number of children treated for asthma at the Children's Hospital in Charleston, SC, in 1997 was five times higher than the number in 1970. Statewide, asthma accounted for over 220,000 emergency room visits during 1999-2003.

Like many diseases and conditions, asthma impacts racial and ethnic groups differently. Whites in South Carolina have a 6.2 % rate of asthma, whereas, 8.2 % of blacks have asthma. The death rate from asthma for African-Americans is three times that of whites. Nearly nine percent of children in South Carolina currently suffer from asthma (7.4% White and 12.4% Black).

If you are concerned about asthma, you are not alone. Many in South Carolina, especially children and young people, suffer from asthma. However, there are ways to deal with asthma and lead a full, normal life.

To learn more:

Asthma in South Carolina
(South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control)
Learn about asthma's impact in South Carolina. This fact sheet has statistics about who is affected, costs, and basic information about causes, symptoms, and treatment.
https://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov/bitstream/handle/10827/19498/DHEC_Asthma_in_
SC_2015-05.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
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Written by: Lillian Trettin, Ph.D.
Reviewed by: Jeffrey G. Schultze, M.D.
Last Modified: Thursday September 20, 2018 8:05 PM