Asthma: Prevalence, Pathogenesis, and Prospects for Novel Therapies

The Increasing Prevalence of Asthma The prevalence of asthma has increased sharply in the United States and around the world in the past 30 years. In the United States, data from the National Health Interview Survey show that the annual prevalence of asthma increased from 3.1% in 1980 to 5.4% in 1994. A review of studies performed in 17 countries during the 1960s and repeated in the 1990s confirms an international increase in asthma prevalence....