Related Experiment Videos
Decreases in Hispanic and non-Hispanic asthma mortality.
1Section of Allergy and Immunology, Children's National Medical Center, and Department of Pediatrics, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20010-2970, USA. msly@cnmc.org
Summary
Asthma mortality rates declined in the U.S. for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations between 1999 and 2001. This trend suggests improved asthma management strategies are effectively reducing deaths.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Asthma mortality rates in the U.S. saw an increase until the mid-1990s, reaching 2.1 per 100,000 population.
- Since 1994-1996, a downward trend in asthma deaths was observed, with rates falling to 1.5 per 100,000 by 2001.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in asthma mortality specifically within the U.S. Hispanic population.
- To compare changes in asthma death rates between Hispanic and non-Hispanic groups.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
- Analyzed mortality data using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes J45-J46 for asthma as the underlying cause of death.
- Examined data for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, stratifying by Hispanic and non-Hispanic ethnicity.
Main Results:
- Asthma deaths among Hispanics decreased from 320 in 1999 to 274 in 2001.
- Asthma mortality rates for Hispanics fell from 1.0 to 0.7 per 100,000 population during the same period.
- Non-Hispanic asthma mortality also decreased, with rates dropping from 1.84 to 1.6 per 100,000.
Conclusions:
- Asthma mortality has been declining in the United States for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations since 1999.
- The observed decrease in asthma deaths suggests the effectiveness of enhanced asthma management practices.