Rates of asthma are rising, not falling, according to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest numbers find that seven million children have asthma today, one of the most common lifelong chronic diseases.
From 2001 to 2010, the proportion of children and adults with asthma increased by almost 15 percent. And by 2009, asthma accounted for nearly 3,400 deaths, nearly 48,000 hospitalizations and 1.9 million emergency department visits.
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.
“With asthma in children, the key is to maintain good control of symptoms and thus minimize the number of office visits, ED visits, hospitalizations, and missed days of work and school,” said Indira Amato, MD, pediatrician at Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper. “To make this happen, we healthcare providers must be thorough and clear with instructions to parents and kids about using medications, avoiding triggers that cause asthma attacks, and recognizing signs that the child’s asthma is worsening.”
“The Pediatric and Adult Asthma Coalition of New Jersey web site at www.pacnj.org contains many essential tools to manage asthma, such as an Asthma Treatment Plan and the Trigger Tracker,” said Amato.
Call 1.800.8.COOPER (800.826.6737) or submit an online appointment request to schedule an appointment with a Cooper Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology specialist.