Epidemiology

In the US, 20 million adults had asthma as of 2021.​​[3]​ Prevalence rates among adults in 2019-2021 were 13.3% in American Indian/Alaska Native people, 10.7% among non-Hispanic black people, 8.0% among non-Hispanic white people, 6.7% in Hispanic populations, and 4.2% in Asian non-Hispanic people.[3]

There were 716,117 emergency department visits among US adults with asthma, and 67,505 hospital inpatients stays in 2020.[3]​ Data from 2021 indicate that non-Hispanic black people are at the highest risk of death from asthma.[4]​ Despite the improved understanding of pathophysiology and treatment methods, asthma remains undertreated.

The prevalence of asthma worldwide is variable. Countries with the lowest prevalence include China and Vietnam, whereas Australia and Sweden have the highest prevalence.[5] It is estimated that 2% of India’s adult population have asthma.[6] The global burden was reported to be 339 million people in 2018, potentially increasing to 400 million by 2025.[6][7]

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