Asthmatic Americans at Record Low Levels

A new survey finds the percentage of Americans who have asthma has dropped to its lowest level in a decade, about 7.4% say they have it. Less than 4% say they’ve had a recent asthma attack, which is the lowest rate in 15 years. Researchers say there’s been no major medical advance or environmental change to explain this. Pediatric asthma specialist Karen Freedle concurs. “I am not aware of anything that has changed with either the care of asthma or anything else that would explain these statistics.” This could be a statistical “blip.” Researchers want another year of data before saying asthma is truly on the decline, concludes Freedle. “Asthma happens to be the most common chronic illness in children and it is also the most common reason for hospital admissions for children.” The survey was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control.