10 facts on asthma

AAAAI/Philip B.

1 May 2007

Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing. The most common chronic disease among children, it currently affects 300 million people. In 2005 alone, 255 000 people died of asthma.

This fact file profiles the symptoms and risk factors of asthma and includes a selection of the winning entries from the 16th annual "Living with Asthma" poster contest in 2006. The contest was open to children (6-14 years) from the United States of America who suffer from asthma. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) and the American Academy of Pediatrics jointly sponsored the contest.

Read more about asthma

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