Source: Reuters
About 25 million Americans, or 1 in 12 people, have asthma, a figure that is rising despite efforts to control key asthma triggers such as indoor smoking, U.S. government researchers said on Tuesday.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an additional 4.3 million people were diagnosed with asthma from 2001 to 2009. The life-long disease causes wheezing, tightness in the chest, coughing and shortness of breath.
“Despite the fact that outdoor air quality has improved, we’ve reduced two common asthma triggers – secondhand smoke and smoking in general — asthma is increasing,” Paul Garbe, chief of the CDC’s Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch, said in a statement.
Read More: U.S. asthma rates rising but reasons unclear: CDC
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