300 Longwood Avenue Boston, MA 02115 (617) 355-6000 Clinical Services (Community Asthma Initiative): Asthma Statistics According to the latest available information from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), the American Lung Association, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, consider the following statistics: More than 20 million people in the US have been diagnosed with asthma. Nine million US children under 18 have been diagnosed with asthma. Asthma is the most common chronic condition among children in the US. There are approximately 5,000 deaths from asthma annually. Asthma accounts for 12.8 million absences from school each year. Asthma prevalence is 39 percent higher in African-Americans than in Caucasians. African-American children with asthma, most often from inner city populations, generally experience more severe disability from asthma and have more frequent hospitalizations than do Caucasian children. Asthma is the third most common cause of childhood hospitalizations under the age of 15. An estimated 200,000 to one million children with asthma experience symptoms that are more severe due to exposure to secondhand smoke. In 2003, there were 12.7 million physician office visits and 1.2 million outpatient department visits due to asthma. Asthma cases and asthma deaths have been on the rise, and hospitalizations for asthma have increased. Asthma treatment costs an estimated $16.1 billion, including direct and indirect expenditures each year. Asthma causes nearly 24.5 million missed workdays each year for adults. The information on this website should not be taken as medical advice, which can only be given to you by your personal health care professional. Copyright © Children's Hospital Boston. All rights reserved.