Allergies and Asthma

About 50 million people in the U.S. - one in five adults and kids - have allergies. They sneeze, their noses run and their eyes itch from pollen, dust and other substances. Some suffer sudden attacks that leave them breathless and gasping for air. This is allergic asthma. Asthma attacks often occur after periods of heavy exercise or during sudden changes in the weather. Some can be triggered by pollutants and other chemicals in the air and in the home. Doctors can test to find out which substances are causing reactions. They can also prescribe drugs to relieve the symptoms.

	California has 2,268,300 cases of asthma, this is the largest number of persons reported with asthma in the U.S.
	In 1995, there were 42,333 asthma-related hospital stays in California.
	The average cost per hospital stay was $9,275.
	Asthma can be controlled, but not cured.
	Most Asthma-related hospitalizations and deaths can be prevented.
	Asthma was diagnosed more often than any other illness of 468,000 U.S. hospital admissions in 1993.
	In the United States in 1994 , asthma affected an estimated 4.8 million children (under age 18) out of an estimated 18 million children. Asthmatic youngsters under age 15 were hospitalized 159,000 times in 1993, and stayed 3.4 days on average.
	Estimates from a skin test survey suggest that allergies affect more than 50 million people in the United States.
	Allergic dermatitis (itchy rash) is the most common skin condition in children younger than 11 years of age [14]. The percentage of American children diagnosed with it has increased from 3% in the 1960s to 10% in the 1990s.
	Urticaria (hives; raised areas of reddened skin that become itchy) and angioedema (swelling of throat tissues) together affect approximately 15% of the U.S. population every year.
	Chronic sinusitis affects nearly 35 million people in the United States.
	Allergic drug reactions, commonly caused by antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporins, occur in 2 to 3% of hospitalized patients.
	Eight percent of children younger than 6 years old experience food intolerance(s). Researchers estimate that up to 2 to 4 percent of all children under 6 have food allergy.
	A severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis occurs in 3.3% of the U.S. population as a result of insect stings. At least 40 deaths per year result from insect sting anaphylaxis.