Little Progress Made in Closing Racial 'Asthma Gap'

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Black Americans are five times more likely to die of asthma and four times more likely to be hospitalized for the condition than other Americans.

That''s just one of the asthma care disparities between minorities and whites noted in a number of studies in the February issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Among the other statistics:

• Puerto Rican Americans have the highest prevalence of asthma (13.1 percent), followed by Native Americans (9.9 percent), and non-Hispanic blacks (9.5 percent).
• The asthma death rate for blacks increased from 9.9 to 13.2 deaths per 1 million people from 1980-84 to 2000-2001. During that same time, asthma death rates for whites increased from 2.1 to 2.6 deaths per 1 million people.

One study noted that national efforts to improve asthma care over the past decade haven''t shrunk the gap between blacks and whites in terms of asthma-related deaths and hospitalizations. Reducing these disparities in asthma care should be a national priority, said study author Dr. Ruchi S. Gupta, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Children''s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

When treating children with asthma, doctors should consider racial/ethnic factors that might help prevent hospitalizations and premature death. In a prepared statement, Gupta also noted: "The number of uninsured adults is increasing, and lack of insurance for adults could explain why asthma prevalence and mortality has increased."

Another study suggested genetics may explain the differences in asthma prevalence in blacks, Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans.

And separate research found that one way to reduce asthma disparities is through traditional prevention strategies, such as identifying and removing asthma risk factors, and disease detection, management and control.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has more about asthma and allergy prevention.

-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, news release, Feb. 13, 2006

Last Updated: Feb. 13, 2006