There’s More to Asthma than Meets the Air

(May 8, 2013) Nearly 25 million people right here in the U.S. are living with asthma, a chronic disease of the airways in the lungs. But for all the talk of the global asthma epidemic, there are plenty of everyday reminders that asthma problems – and solutions – are local. 

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is out with its annual listing of Asthma Capitals™ naming the 100 “most challenging places to live with asthma” in the U.S. This year Richmond,VA, occupies the #1 spot, but cities in Pennsylvania are named as well, including Philadelphia, Allentown and Pittsburgh. 

	2013 Rank	Metro Area
	1	Richmond, VA
	4	Philadelphia, PA
	14	Springfield, MA

The full ranking of 100 cities can be found at www.AsthmaCapitals.com. AAFA has been assessing asthma prevalence, environmental risk factors and patient medical utilization in the largest 100 cities for the past decade and publishing its annual rankings. The report is designed to bring attention to the many factors involved in asthma quality of life, and to help patients, doctors and policymakers make informed decisions about prevention, treatment and public policies affecting asthma.

Annual Ranking is a Reminder

“Air pollution, pollen and public smoking laws are asthma-related issues,” according to Lynda Mitchell of Kids With Food Allergies Foundation, which is in the process of  merging with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, pending regulatory approvals. To come up with the rankings, AAFA assesses air pollution, ozone days, pollen counts, medication utilization, poverty rates and even public smoking laws for the 100 largest cities in the U.S.to illustrate how challenging each city may be for people with asthma.

About Kids With Food Allergies

Founded in 2005, KFA has become an essential part of the food allergy and anaphylaxis community offering patient education programs, webinars, an allergy buyers’ guide, an electronic database of allergen-free recipes and more to help keep children safe and healthy. Most notably, KFA hosts the largest and most active online food allergy and anaphylaxis community at www.kidswithfoodallergies.org, a critical platform for parents and caregivers who want to network with others about raising kids with food allergies and related diseases.

About AAFA
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is the oldest and largest nonprofit patient organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with asthma, allergies and related conditions through education, advocacy and research. www.aafa.org

CONTACT FOR MEDIA ONLY: For specific comments about the research methodology, please contact the AAFA National Office at info@aafa.org.

SOURCE: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America