Report shows less asthma attacks in US children

In US, Children with asthma are having fewer attacks and less visits to the hospital, a new report of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed.

Titled ‘Vital Signs’, the report revealed that children who had one or more asthma attacks in the preceding 12 months decreased from 61.7% in 2001 to 53.7% in 2016.

However, it was found that around 50% of children with asthma had one or more attacks in 2016.

CDC acting director Anne Schuchat said: "We are making progress – but healthcare providers, parents, caregivers, and schools can do more to help children avoid asthma attacks.

"Over the past decade, we’ve identified asthma management actions that work – not alone but in combination. Now we need to scale up these efforts nationwide."

The report further showed that certain children such as boys, those aged five to 17 and those from low-income families are more likely to have asthma, while the attacks were found to be common in younger children during 2016.

Hospitalisations due to asthma were found to have decreased from 9.6% in 2003 to 4.7% in 2013, and the percentage of children missing school days because of the condition also dropped during this period.

CDC found that even though more children are receiving disease action plans, one out of six had to be taken to the emergency department and around one in 20 gets hospitalised each year.

The organisation believes that steps such as teaching children and parents about management of the condition could be highly effective in preventing asthma attacks.

Register as Visitor to CPhI China 2018!