Wisconsin Forums

[AJE]

Allergies and Asthma

Allergy is the leading cause of asthma, and about 90% of children under the age of 10 with asthma have allergies. About 70% of people under 30 with asthma and 50% of those over 30 with asthma also have allergies. Allergy is likely to be a contributing factor to asthma if:

*You have close relatives with allergy (that is, a mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, or child)

*Asthma begins at a young age

*Symptoms occur or worsen with different seasons (usually fall or spring)

*You have allergic symptoms like runny nose, hay fever, or a skin condition called eczema

*Tests show that your blood or saliva contains a higher than normal level of eosinophils, special cells that fight infection.

Fast Facts about Asthma
*If you have asthma, you're not alone ...I too suffer this dreaded disease as well as some 12 million other Americans.

*Although many people think asthma is "no big deal," about 5,000 Americans die of asthma each year. (We all know super model Nikki Taylor right, well her younger sister Krissy was also a aspiring model until one tragic day she collasped in her home and died as a result of an Asthma attack.) :cry:

*African-Americans are nearly three times as likely as whites to die of asthma

*Each year, asthma costs more than $4.6 billion in medical care services and time lost from school or work. My mother likes to joke that our family paid for an entire wing of the former Two Rivers Community Hospital by having ER visits and Inpatient stays over the course of 15 years thanks to my sister & I.

*Asthma is the number one reason why children miss school and the leading reason why children are admitted to the hospital. I can personal second this fact!

*More kids than adults have asthma. This is because some children usually "outgrow" their asthma attacks when they grow up.

*Percentage of people with asthma by age:
All ages 4.8%
0-18 years old 6.1%
18-44 years old 4.1%
45-64 years old 4.2%
65 years or older 5.2%