Minnesota Department of Health

News Release

November 17, 2005

Contact information

New report describes burden of asthma in Minnesota
Overall rates are lower than national rates; however, disparities exist

The Minnesota Department of Health today released a new report on the burden of asthma in Minnesota. Among other things, the report describes asthma prevalence, asthma-related hospitalizations, quality of life for people with asthma, and asthma mortality.

Overall, Minnesota’s asthma rates are lower than national rates; however, disparities affect certain segments of the population. Most significantly, there are large disparities in asthma hospitalization rates between those who live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area and the rest of the state.

“Asthma affects more than 350,000 Minnesotans and their families,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dianne Mandernach. “The information in this report will help us plan asthma education and intervention programs and develop policies for preventing and controlling asthma in the future.” The report’s findings include:

Asthma Prevalence

• An estimated 6.8 percent of Minnesota adults currently have asthma. That translates to an estimated 255,000 adult Minnesotans.
• An estimated 7.9 percent of Minnesota children age 0-17 are reported to have asthma, which is equivalent to more than 98,000 Minnesota children.

Health Care Utilization

• Asthma hospitalization rates are highest among children under the age of 5. Boys under 5 have the highest rates.
• Asthma hospitalization rates among children under 5 in Minneapolis are almost 50 percent higher than the national average. School survey data from greater Minnesota suggest that asthma is also having an impact in rural areas of the state in terms of symptoms and missed days from school and other activities.

Quality of Life

• Nearly 18 percent of Minnesota adults with asthma reported one or more days in the past year in which their activities were limited due to asthma.
• 19.5 percent of families with children who have asthma reported being greatly or moderately affected by their child’s health condition.

Asthma and Flu Shots

• Annual flu shots are recommended for people with asthma, according to federal guidelines for asthma management. In Minnesota, adults with asthma are more likely to report receiving a flu shot in the past year than those without asthma. This finding is encouraging, since people with asthma are more likely to become seriously ill if they get influenza. Nevertheless, only 40 percent of those with asthma reported receiving a flu shot in 2003.

Obesity and Smoking

• Adults with asthma are more likely than those without asthma to be obese.
• Adults with asthma are just as likely to smoke cigarettes as those without asthma. Smoking can trigger asthma symptoms.

Commissioner Mandernach encourages all Minnesotans to be familiar with the symptoms of asthma and the proper control of the disease, especially in children. Symptoms of asthma may include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and cough, which can be worse at night or in the early hours of the morning. Symptoms may occur or worsen upon exposure to triggers such as allergens, irritants, exercise or viral infections.

Parents of children who experience any of the following should question if their child’s asthma is under control and should see a health care provider:

1. if the child uses a rescue inhaler more than twice a week for asthma symptoms, or
2. if the child wakes up at night with asthma symptoms more than twice a month, or
3. if the child uses more than two canisters of rescue medication (such as albuterol) in a year.

The Minnesota Department of Health is currently in its fourth year of a five-year, federally funded plan to reduce disease and death related to asthma. As part of this effort, the Asthma Program conducts asthma surveillance to better understand and describe the burden of asthma in Minnesota.

The Asthma in Minnesota 2005 Epidemiology Report can be found at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/cdee/asthma/documents/epi2005.pdf

For more information, call the Minnesota Department of Health Asthma Program at 651-201-5909 or visit their Web site at http://www.health.state.mn.us/asthma .

More information on asthma is available from the following organizations:

• American Lung Association Call Center
  Call 1-800-548-8252 to talk to a registered nurse or respiratory therapist about asthma issues or visit the American Lung Association of Minnesota website at http://www.alamn.org/mn/asthma/index.asp

• Minnesota Asthma Information Center
  http://www.alamn.org/InfoCenter/

• Minnesota Asthma Coalition
  http://www.mnasthma.org

• U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention
  http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/default.htm

-MDH-

For more information, contact:

John Stieger
MDH Communications
(651) 215-1301

Wendy Brunner
Asthma Program
(651) 201-5895

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