Screening for intraocular pressure among adults in Istanbul

Abstract

doi: 10.1016/S1047-2797(03)00153-4 of asthma has increased 75% from 1980-1994. Asthma results in 400,000-500,000 hospitalizations each year. In 1998, the financial cost attributed to asthma in the US was estimated to be $12.7 billion dollars. METHODS: This study was conducted using the 2000 SC BRFSS data to determine the prevalence of asthma in SC and to obtain information on behavioral risk factors associated with asthma at the state level. The results of the study will be used to implement patient and provider asthma education initiatives. Determining the specific needs of persons with asthma can promote education and awareness, improve patients’ access to health care, and reduce costs related to hospitalizations and ER visits. RESULTS: The results show that almost 7% of SC’s adult population reports having asthma. About 3.9% of males report having asthma; however, at 9.4%, the prevalence of asthma in females is more than twice that of males. Of the four race-gender groups, black females report the highest prevalence (11.5%). Conversely, only 3.7% of black males reported that they were asthmatic, less than any of the other three race-gender groups. Black and white females appear to show some racial disparity in the numbers afflicted with asthma, since only 8.3% of white females claimed to be asthmatic compared to 11.5% of black females. However, there did not appear to be a racial disparity among black and white males; both groups reported an asthma prevalence of almost 4%. CONCLUSION: As of this report, only initial data is available regarding the emergence of asthma as a public health problem in SC. New cases of asthma are on the rise in the US; therefore, the most recent BRFSS includes questions about this disease. In time, more data revealing asthma’s prevalence in SC and the US, as well as trend data will become available.