Asthma is a common chronic airway disorder characterized by periods
of reversible airflow obstruction known as asthma attacks (1). Airflow is
obstructed by inflammation and airway hyperreactivity (contraction of the
small muscles surrounding the airways) in reaction to certain exposures (1).
Exposures include exercise, infection, allergens (e.g., pollen), occupational
exposures (e.g., chemicals), and airborne irritants (e.g., environmental tobacco
smoke) (1). Symptoms may include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath,
and chest tightness (1). It is not clear how to prevent asthma from developing
and there is no cure (1). Yet the means to control and prevent exacerbations
in persons who have asthma are well established in evidence-based clinical
guidelines (1). This report presents recent data for trends in asthma prevalence,
health care encounters, and mortality