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MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Black
Americans are five times more likely to die of asthma and four
times more likely to be hospitalized for the condition than other
Americans. That's just one of the asthma care disparities
between minorities and whites noted in a number of studies in the
February issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology.
Among the other statistics:
 | Puerto Rican Americans have the highest prevalence of asthma
(13.1 percent), followed by Native Americans (9.9 percent), and
non-Hispanic blacks (9.5 percent). |
| The asthma death rate for blacks increased from 9.9 to 13.2
deaths per 1 million people from 1980-84 to 2000-2001. During
that same time, asthma death rates for whites increased from 2.1
to 2.6 deaths per 1 million people. |
One study noted that national efforts to improve asthma care
over the past decade haven't shrunk the gap between blacks and
whites in terms of asthma-related deaths and hospitalizations.
Reducing these disparities in asthma care should be a national
priority, said study author Dr. Ruchi S. Gupta, of Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine and Children's Memorial
Hospital in Chicago.
When treating children with asthma, doctors should consider
racial/ethnic factors that might help prevent hospitalizations and
premature death. In a prepared statement, Gupta also noted: "The
number of uninsured adults is increasing, and lack of insurance
for adults could explain why asthma prevalence and mortality has
increased."
Another study suggested genetics may explain the differences in
asthma prevalence in blacks, Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans.
And separate research found that one way to reduce asthma
disparities is through traditional prevention strategies, such as
identifying and removing asthma risk factors, and disease
detection, management and control.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
has more about
asthma and allergy prevention.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology,
news release, Feb. 13, 2006 |
