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Asthma is the most common long-term childhood disease, affecting some 6.3 million children.
Nearly 1 in 13 school-aged children has asthma, and the rate is increasing more rapidly in
preschool-aged children than in any other age group.
Approximately 4.2 million children had an
asthma attack in the last year.
Asthma is one of the key public health problem in the U.S. and its prevalence has been
increasing since 1980. CDC estimates that up to 20 million people in the U.S. have asthma,
including 6.3 million children.
In 2000, there were nearly 2 million emergency room visits and nearly half a million hospitalizations due to asthma.
Asthma, a chronic, or long-term lung disease disease, can be life threatening as it affects
the children's ability to breathe.
Symptoms of an "asthma attack" can be difficulty with breathing, a tight feeling in the chest,
coughing and wheezing.
Asthma may develop quickly and may cause a mild discomfort to a life-threatening attack.
During An Asthma Attack, 3 major changes that can take place in the lungs are:
- Cells in the air tubes make more mucus than normal. This mucus is very thick and sticky, and tends to clog up the tubes.
- Cells in the airways get inflamed, causing the air tubes to swell.
- The muscles around the air tubes tighten.
All these changes cause breathing difficulty in the children as
the airways in their lungs get blocked, causing the lungs to get less air.
...The air that children breathe can make a difference...
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Asthma may be triggered by allergens and irritants that are common in homes.
Help your child breathe easier: consult a doctor and reduce asthma triggers in your home.
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