Childhood Asthma Management Program

BACKGROUND:

Asthma is a serious chronic condition, affecting approximately 14 million Americans. People with asthma experience well over 100 million days of restricted activity annually, and costs for asthma care exceed $10 billion a year. Asthma is much more prevalent among children than adults.

Hospitalizations for asthma have been increasing among children. For example, from 1979 to 1987, the hospital discharge rate with asthma as the first-listed diagnosis rose 43 percent among children less than 15 years of age, from 19.8 to 28.4 discharges per 10,000 population.

Death rates for asthma are greater in Blacks than in whites, and the difference is increasing. In 1979, Blacks of both sexes were about twice as likely to die from asthma as whites. Over the past decade this ratio has increased, and by 1987 the asthma death rate was almost three times greater among Blacks than whites. In children, these mortality differences between Blacks and whites are even more striking.

Current knowledge about the epidemiology and natural history of childhood asthma is incomplete, but the relationship between asthma early in life and development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adulthood is becoming more apparent. Asthmatic children with persistent and severe asthma symptoms have lower levels of lung function by young adulthood than those with milder disease. Recent longitudinal studies have confirmed a decrease in rate of growth of lung function as measured by FEV1 among symptomatic (primarily wheeze) children compared to asymptomatic children. Among persons who develop COPD, initial level of lung function is the strongest predictor of subsequent rapid decline of ventilatory function.