Inequalities in asthma mortality by ethnicity and race in the United States and Puerto Rico

Abstract

Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) individuals and Puerto Rican (PR) individuals are the groups with the highest asthma prevalence and morbidity in the United States.1,2 All-cause asthma mortality risk increases markedly within the first month after a severe asthma exacerbation requiring systemic steroids, emergency department visit, or hospitalization.3 Because PR and NHB individuals have higher emergency department and hospitalization rates than non-Hispanic White (NHW) individuals, we expect that PR and NHB individuals would have higher asthma mortality than NHW individuals.