Breathing disorders affect more than 36 million Americans, sometimes limiting an active life. Here’s what you need to know.
- Asthma, a dangerous breathing disorder, affects 6.3 million children and 17.7 million adults in the United States. About 1.8 million people rush to the emergency room each year due to an asthma attack.
- If you have asthma, it’s more likely your children will have it, too. Symptoms usually start before a child turns 5.
- Although chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, develops slowly over time, it’s the third leading cause of death in this country. More than 11 million people have a COPD diagnosis, but it’s estimated that 24 million have the disease. Most don’t know it.
- Pneumonia is a leading cause of hospitalization among older adults. Vaccines to prevent the flu and pneumococcal pneumonia help prevent two of the most common pneumonia causes.
