Are there certain groups of people who are at higher risk for asthma?
The prevalence of asthma is definitely higher among children than adults and higher among African Americans and Hispanics than Caucasians. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, African Americans are three times as likely as Caucasians to be hospitalized from asthma and three times as likely to die from the disease. Racial differences in asthma prevalence and mortality are believed to be highly related to poverty, urban air quality, indoor allergens, lack of patient education and inadequate medical care.
