Racial gap widening in U.S. for childhood asthma

ATLANTA, Georgia (Reuters) -- African-Americans were significantly more likely than whites to experience childhood asthma, according to U.S. health statistics that showed on Thursday a widening racial gap among the young for the chronic lung disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said a 1998 survey found that black children were 31 percent more likely than white children to have had an episode of asthma or an asthma attack during the previous year.

"In 1998, 68 out of 1,000 black children had asthma versus only 52 out of 1,000 white children," said Lara Akinbami of the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

The racial disparity has grown steadily since 1980 when African-American children had a 15 percent higher asthma rate than whites, the CDC said.

"Black children are much more likely to be hospitalized or die from asthma," Akinbami said.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by temporary obstruction of airflow that causes breathing difficulty, coughing and inflammation of the airways.

Overall, 53 of 1,000 children had an episode of asthma or an asthma attack in the year before the 1998 survey of about 14,000 children, the CDC said.

The CDC survey did not attempt to identify the reasons for the racial gap. Previous studies have shown that the illness disproportionately affects minorities and people living in poverty.

"There are many factors which we know contribute to developing asthma, for instance, a genetic predisposition or exposure to environmental factors such as pollen. The role of infections in young children has also been implicated," Akinbami said.

"However, we don't understand how these things interact and exactly why certain people develop asthma," she said.

The CDC estimates that more than 15 million Americans, including five million children, have asthma. The agency said asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease among children and can be life-threatening.

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American Lung Association -- Asthma -- General Information Index
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA)
JAMA Asthma Information Center
The Allergy and Asthma Network / Mothers of Asthmatics Web Site

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