December 12th, 2017
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lungs characterized by episodic and reversible symptoms of airflow obstruction (1). During 1993-1994, an estimated 13.7 million persons in the United States reported having asthma, and from 1980 to 1994 the prevalence of self-reported asthma in the United States increased 75% (2). Despite this increase, surveillance data are limited for asthma at the state and local levels (3). To estimate the 1998 prevalence rate of asthma for each state, CDC analyzed national self-reported asthma prevalence data from 1995. This report summarizes the results of the analyses, which project that approximately 17 million persons in the United States have asthma. MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 01492195, 12/04/98, Vol. 47, Issue 47