St. Louis ranked as the number 9 asthma capital in 2008 and is now ranked as the Number 1. The ranking is due to higher than average pollen score, continued poor air quality, a lack of “100% smoke-free” laws and many other factors that contribute to St. Louis not being a good place for people with asthma to live.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), than 20 million children and adults live with asthma all over the U.S., making it one of the most common and costly diseases. Experts agree that people can't move away from their asthma since every city in America has a variety of risk factors. Instead, people should work with an asthma specialist to have a good asthma management plan no matter where the live.
Asthma is characterized by a predisposition to chronic inflammation of the lungs in which the airways are reversibly narrowed. Asthma affects 7% of the population of the United States. Asthma causes 4,000 deaths a year in the United States.
The Asthma Capitals is an annual research project to call attention to the asthma epidemic and to advocate for changes in each city to improve the quality of life for people with asthma. Rankings are based on analysis of 12 factors in three groups:
*Prevalence Factors – morbidity and mortality statistics
*Risk Factors – air quality, pollen, "100% smoke-free" laws, poverty and more
*Medical Factors – medication usage and access to specialists
Here are the Top 10 Asthma Capitals for 2009:
1. St. Louis, MO
2. Milwaukee, WI
3. Birmingham, AL
4. Chattanooga, TN
5. Charlotte, NC
6. Memphis, TN
7. Knoxville, TN
8. McAllen, TX
9. Atlanta, GA
10. Little Rock, AR
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), founded in 1953, is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for and controlling asthma, food allergies, nasal allergies and other allergic diseases. AAFA's mission is also to educate the public about these diseases. AAFA's motto is "for life without limits" and AAFA represents the 70 million Americans with asthma and allergies.
Learn more about the AAFA on their site: www.aafa.org
Posted November 1st, 2009 by Cheryl Phillips
