Asthma is a very common condition in the United States and other developed countries:

In 2000, more than 11 million Americans had an asthma attack.

About 1 in 20 children under age 18 suffer from asthma (www.aafa.org).

In 1999, asthma was responsible for 2 million emergency room visits, and close to 500,000 hospitalizations.

About 5,000 Americans die each year from asthma, with three times as many deaths occurring in blacks than in whites.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were over 17 million people with asthma in the United States in 1998.

Over 50% of people with asthma have allergies. It is common for asthma to appear more frequently in families with a history of the condition.