THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF ASTHMA: CURRENT ESTIMATES
334 million people have asthma.
14% of the world’s children experience asthma symptoms.
8.6% of young adults (aged 18-45) experience asthma symptoms.
4.5% of young adults have been diagnosed with asthma and/or are taking treatment for asthma.
The burden of asthma is greatest for children aged 10-14 and the elderly aged 75-79.
Asthma is the 14th most important disorder in the world in terms of the extent and duration of disability.
Facts
According to WHO estimates, 235 million people suffer from asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children.
Asthma is not just a public health problem for high income countries: it occurs in all countries regardless of level of development. Over 80% of asthma deaths occurs in low and lower-middle income countries.
Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated, creating a substantial burden to individuals and families and possibly restricting individuals’ activities for a lifetime.
Asthma :Fact sheet :Updated April 2017
Key facts
Asthma is one of the major noncommunicable diseases. It is a chronic disease of the the air passages of the lungs which inflames and narrows them.
Some 235 million people currently suffer from asthma. It is a common disease among children.
Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.
According to the latest WHO estimates, released in December 2016, there were 383 000 deaths due to asthma in 2015.
The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are inhaled substances and particles that may provoke allergic reactions or irritate the airways.
Medication can control asthma. Avoiding asthma triggers can also reduce the severity of asthma.
Appropriate management of asthma can enable people to enjoy a good quality of life.
Asthma is a major noncommunicable disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, which vary in severity and frequency from person to person. Symptoms may occur several times in a day or week in affected individuals, and for some people become worse during physical activity or at night. During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swell, causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs. Recurrent asthma symptoms frequently cause sleeplessness, daytime fatigue, reduced activity levels and school and work absenteeism. Asthma has a relatively low fatality rate compared to other chronic diseases.
Facts about asthma
WHO estimates that 235 million people currently suffer from asthma. Asthma is the most common noncommunicable disease among children. Most deaths occur in older adults.
Asthma is a public health problem not just for high-income countries; it occurs in all countries regardless of the level of development. Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.
Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated. It creates substantial burden to individuals and families and often restricts individuals’ activities for a lifetime.
The causes
The fundamental causes of asthma are not completely understood. The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are a combination of genetic predisposition with environmental exposure to inhaled substances and particles that may provoke allergic reactions or irritate the airways.
What is the impact of asthma on rates of disability and premature death?
The burden of asthma, measured by disability and premature death, is greatest in children approaching adolescence (ages 10-14) and the elderly (ages 75-79). The lowest impact is borne by those aged 30-34. The burden is similar in males and females at ages below 30-34 years but at older ages the burden is higher in males. This sex difference increases with increasing age.
The GBD’s measure of health loss attributable to specific diseases, for asthma. The GBD used mortality statistics and health survey data, where available, to estimate, for many countries of the world, two components of disease burden: years of life lost due to premature death, and years of life lived with disability. The latter quantifies both the extent of disability and its duration. The years of life prematurely lost, and the years of life lived with disability are added together and expressed as disability adjusted life years (DALYs), which is the measure of burden of disease.
Among people aged less than 45 years, most of the burden of disease is disability. The GBD estimated that asthma was the 14th most important disorder in terms of global years lived with disability. However, for people in older age groups, premature death due to asthma contributes more to the burden of disease .
Asthma has a global distribution with a relatively higher burden of disease in Australia and New Zealand, some countries in Africa, the Middle East and South America, and North-Western Europe .
Conclusion
The global burden of disease due to asthma has become better understood through standardised measurement of the proportion of the population who have asthma, severe asthma, disability due to asthma and/or who have died from asthma. Little is known about asthma in the many countries where it has not been studied, and little information is available about asthma in adults over the age of 45.
Recommendation
Governments should commit to research, intervention and monitoring to reduce the burden of asthma in the world. Global surveillance of asthma requires standardised measures of asthma implemented in large scale surveys of both children and adults in diverse settings worldwide.
334 million people have asthma.
14% of the world’s children experience asthma symptoms.
8.6% of young adults (aged 18-45) experience asthma symptoms.
4.5% of young adults have been diagnosed with asthma and/or are taking treatment for asthma.
The burden of asthma is greatest for children aged 10-14 and the elderly aged 75-79.
Asthma is the 14th most important disorder in the world in terms of the extent and duration of disability.
Facts
According to WHO estimates, 235 million people suffer from asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children.
Asthma is not just a public health problem for high income countries: it occurs in all countries regardless of level of development. Over 80% of asthma deaths occurs in low and lower-middle income countries.
Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated, creating a substantial burden to individuals and families and possibly restricting individuals’ activities for a lifetime.
Asthma :Fact sheet :Updated April 2017
Key facts
Asthma is one of the major noncommunicable diseases. It is a chronic disease of the the air passages of the lungs which inflames and narrows them.
Some 235 million people currently suffer from asthma. It is a common disease among children.
Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.
According to the latest WHO estimates, released in December 2016, there were 383 000 deaths due to asthma in 2015.
The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are inhaled substances and particles that may provoke allergic reactions or irritate the airways.
Medication can control asthma. Avoiding asthma triggers can also reduce the severity of asthma.
Appropriate management of asthma can enable people to enjoy a good quality of life.
Asthma is a major noncommunicable disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, which vary in severity and frequency from person to person. Symptoms may occur several times in a day or week in affected individuals, and for some people become worse during physical activity or at night. During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swell, causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs. Recurrent asthma symptoms frequently cause sleeplessness, daytime fatigue, reduced activity levels and school and work absenteeism. Asthma has a relatively low fatality rate compared to other chronic diseases.
Facts about asthma
WHO estimates that 235 million people currently suffer from asthma. Asthma is the most common noncommunicable disease among children. Most deaths occur in older adults.
Asthma is a public health problem not just for high-income countries; it occurs in all countries regardless of the level of development. Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.
Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated. It creates substantial burden to individuals and families and often restricts individuals’ activities for a lifetime.
The causes
The fundamental causes of asthma are not completely understood. The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are a combination of genetic predisposition with environmental exposure to inhaled substances and particles that may provoke allergic reactions or irritate the airways.
What is the impact of asthma on rates of disability and premature death?
The burden of asthma, measured by disability and premature death, is greatest in children approaching adolescence (ages 10-14) and the elderly (ages 75-79). The lowest impact is borne by those aged 30-34. The burden is similar in males and females at ages below 30-34 years but at older ages the burden is higher in males. This sex difference increases with increasing age.
The GBD’s measure of health loss attributable to specific diseases, for asthma. The GBD used mortality statistics and health survey data, where available, to estimate, for many countries of the world, two components of disease burden: years of life lost due to premature death, and years of life lived with disability. The latter quantifies both the extent of disability and its duration. The years of life prematurely lost, and the years of life lived with disability are added together and expressed as disability adjusted life years (DALYs), which is the measure of burden of disease.
Among people aged less than 45 years, most of the burden of disease is disability. The GBD estimated that asthma was the 14th most important disorder in terms of global years lived with disability. However, for people in older age groups, premature death due to asthma contributes more to the burden of disease .
Asthma has a global distribution with a relatively higher burden of disease in Australia and New Zealand, some countries in Africa, the Middle East and South America, and North-Western Europe .
Conclusion
The global burden of disease due to asthma has become better understood through standardised measurement of the proportion of the population who have asthma, severe asthma, disability due to asthma and/or who have died from asthma. Little is known about asthma in the many countries where it has not been studied, and little information is available about asthma in adults over the age of 45.
Recommendation
Governments should commit to research, intervention and monitoring to reduce the burden of asthma in the world. Global surveillance of asthma requires standardised measures of asthma implemented in large scale surveys of both children and adults in diverse settings worldwide.
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