Forecasted state-specific estimates of self-reported asthma prevalence--United States, 1998.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lungs characterized by episodic and reversible symptoms of airflow obstruction. During 1993-1994, an estimated 13.7 million persons in the United States reported having asthma, and from 1980 to 1994 the prevalence of self-reported asthma in the United States increased 75%. Despite this increase, surveillance data are limited for asthma at the state and local levels. To estimate the 1998 prevalence rate of asthma for each state, CDC analyzed national self-reported asthma prevalence data from 1995. This report summarizes the results of the analyses, which project that approximately 17 million persons in the United States have asthma.