AsthmaAsthma, a chronic lung disease, affects an estimated 17 million Americans. When asthma strikes, airways in the lungs become inflamed and constricted, causing coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Each year, nearly 500,000 Americans are hospitalized and more than 5,000 die from asthma.Children are more likely to develop asthma than adults, especially inner-city children. African Americans are hospitalized for asthma three to four times more often than other Americans, and African Americans are four to six times more likely than whites to die from asthma. Investigating a Growing Problem  Scientists understand asthma better than they did two decades ago. Asthma appears to develop early in life, stemming from a combination of genetic and environmental causes. Many people with asthma have allergic reactions to particles breathed in through the air, such as animal dander, ragweed pollen, or dust mite and cockroach waste products. The tendency to react allergically to these common substances is likely genetic. Scientists still don't know how asthma takes hold and progresses in an individual, but they have uncovered many important clues.Despite our improved understanding, asthma is on the rise, increasing by 75 percent during 1980-1994, according to the latest available figures. The reason remains mysterious. Researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are exploring the genetic and environmental risk factors that lead to asthma as well as searching for more effective treatments. On the following pages, you can learn facts about asthma, read about NIAID-sponsored asthma research, and find links to other related information and organizations. Asthma Basics  Current NIAID Research Highlights
NIAID Publications and Links  |
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