Epidemiology – How Common is Asthma

• Is the most common chronic health condition in children and adolescents under 18 years in the United States
• About 1 in 12 young people (around 8%; almost 5 million in the U.S.) are affected
• Globally, the percentage is even higher, with 10-15% of children and adolescents experiencing asthma
• The prevalence of asthma has more than doubled over the past 20+ years

• It can develop at any age
• Often begins in childhood
• Chances of being diagnosed increase with age
  • uncommon in very young children (only 1.9% of kids under 4 years have it)
  • more frequent in older children and teens (7.7% of those aged 5 to 14). 

Different types of asthma

• Allergic asthma is more common in children
• Non-allergic asthma becomes more frequent with age and is the most common form in adults

Gender

• More boys than girls have asthma (about 2.7 million boys – 2 million girls) 
• But more adult women have asthma than men
• Symptoms change with age. Young boys (ages 5-6 years) often have more severe asthma, but during adolescence, girls often experience worse symptoms
• Scientists believe changes may be linked to hormonal differences in puberty

Race/Ethnicity 

• Most common among Non-Hispanic Black children, followed by Hispanic children and White children
• Less common among Asian children compared to other racial/ethnic groups

• Asthma is most common in the Northeastern U.S..
• Asthma is the least common in the West of the U.S..
• There are no major differences in asthma rates between urban and rural areas.

Asthma is more common in families with lower incomes, possibly due to differences in

• healthcare access
• housing conditions
• exposure to environmental triggers.