Epidemiology of asthma
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that some 10% of the Swiss population have asthma as of 2007, compared with 2% some 25–30 years ago.
[20][21][22][23] Rates of asthma-related hospital admissions in 2010 were more than three times higher among African American children and two times higher for African American and Latino adults compared with White and Asian and Pacific Islander people.
This can be attributed to a decrease in case-specific mortality due to improved management and control of asthma and its symptoms.
[30] Childhood asthma prevalence was found to be higher than 15 percent in a majority of Latin American countries.
[citation needed] A survey was conducted by the ISSAC Steering Committee from 1992 to 1993 in adults aged 22 to 44, comparing the prevalence of asthma in 10 developed countries.
In other areas of the world, the same trend that lower socioeconomic status is related to higher severity of asthma symptoms.
Airway reactivity and symptoms for children of low socioeconomic status in Canada tend to be higher than those of higher-income areas.
A similar trend can be seen in the United States, where an urban-rural gradient shows the increase in the prevalence of asthma closer to the inner city.
The inner city and rural communities have several commonalities that are important when determining socioeconomic status.
[45] Multiple factors contribute to socioeconomic disparities, income and education, pollutant exposures and allergens are uncontrollable influences on an individual.
Stressors related to neighborhood violence and safety, behavioral risk factors, and lack of access to adequate medications and healthcare also contribute to an increased prevalence of asthma.
Low income alone accounts for a significant increase in poor asthma outcomes, including severity, lung function, and morbidity rates.
[48] People living below the poverty line and with less education have a higher second-hand smoke exposure than those who do not.
Although asthma is more prevalent and more severe in boys among children, many women experience a significant worsening of symptoms around and after puberty.
[citation needed] Between 2014-15 and 2019-20 more than 5,100 women in the United Kingdom died from an asthma attack compared with fewer than 2,300 men.
