In this article we take a look at the 25 best U.S. cities to live with asthma. Click to skip ahead and jump to the 10 best U.S. cities to live with asthma.
Navigating through life with asthma can be a life-long challenge in itself. Sometimes it becomes very important to constantly monitor your surroundings to detect any triggers. According to reports by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 19.2 million American adults suffer from asthma. That is almost 7.7% of adults of age over 18. Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PIRS), Opko Health (OPKO), and Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) are some of the companies that are working on treatment of respiratory diseases such as asthma.
Also, the United States records around 10 deaths due to asthma each day. Such detrimental outcomes and severity of asthma can be prevented through efficient management of the patient’s surroundings. This makes it ever more important for the places you live in to be suitable for asthmatic patients, if you have been suffering from asthma or have had a prolonged history in it.
Close links have also been found between asthma and allergies. Allergies can be caused by various different triggers ranging from allergens in the air , such as pollen, to food allergens, like eggs, peanuts and milk. While allergies can have different symptoms, it has been observed that asthma can be triggered by allergic reactions to pollen, dust or mold. This is also the most common type of asthma that patients in the US suffer from. This is caused by lung inflammation triggered by an allergic reaction which ultimately causes asthma in patients, and might lead to a chronic condition.
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Among the residents that suffer from asthma, approximately 6 million are children under the age of 18, as reported by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). This means around 20 million adults suffer from the disease, and the mortality in adults is also considerably high. Asthma is also one of the underlying conditions that can put one at higher risks of contracting the coronavirus.
One of the leading diagnostics companies, Quest Diagnostics, has also inferred in its reports that almost 53% of asthma patients had allergic tendencies. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) also recommends patients to avoid exposure to common allergens in their surroundings. Owing to the close ties between allergies and asthma, it is advisable for asthma sufferers to stay clear of the 25 Worst Cities for Allergies.
Different patients are also, therefore, better suited to certain conditions. It has been observed that some patients have calmer symptoms or manage their triggers better in a dry environment while others have been known to prefer humid climate conditions. A lot of asthma cases can also be contracted through a work-related health hazard. Approximately 15.7% of adult asthma cases or a total 1.9 million cases have been examples of work-related asthma. Smoking is also a leading cause for asthma that can be prevented.
A number of such factors are at play when determining the cause of asthma or the perfectly suited conditions for its treatment. It might be approached from the point of view of the pollutants and allergen levels in the air. We should also be looking beyond big cities, as larger metros tend to have poor air quality due to heavy traffic and emission and can be difficult or asthma patients. Number of emergency visits or mortality rates could also be possible indicators.
Asthma Prevalence Rates is one of the standards, or factors that can be used to determine the viability of a particular city’s suitability as a habitat for asthma patients. Prevalence is one of the stable indicators that can be used to provide reliable results in context. For places and cities, it is a good yardstick that shows how prevalence can be more in certain places. While places with low prevalence indicated that most of the factors have a favorable effect towards asthmatic symptoms or health outcomes. We have based our rankings against Asthma prevalence data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the BRFSS Asthma Prevalence by MMSAs.
Several factors like living conditions, access to treatments and air quality of surroundings play a role in managing asthma. It has therefore been observed that specific communities and places are better suited for asthma than others. Proper awareness and management of living conditions and better air quality can go a long way in prevention and treatment of asthma. It makes it further more important to identify the places that might be aggravating your conditions and which are the ones that can be helpful in reducing its health implications. Here are the 25 Best U.S. Cities to Live With Asthma.
25. El Paso, TX
Asthma Prevalence – 7.2
El Paso’s prevalence is lower than the median asthma prevalence of 9.1%. Even then around 17% of children in El Paso suffer from asthma, while ones suffering from allergies are at 51%.
