Effect of racial and socioeconomic factors on asthma mortality in Chicago.

sthma is a chronic disease affecting nearly 10 million persons’ and leading to 500,000 hospitalizations annually.� During the 1980s, mortality from asthma in the United States increased by 6% per year.3 Weiss et aP� previously noted that Cook County Illinois has one of the highest mortality rates from asthma in the country, with most of the deaths occurring within the city of Chicago. Several studies have found that asthma mortality and hospitalization rates in general are greater among nonwhitess,6 and persons with low income,78 with possible explanations for the racial and socioeconomic differences in asthma rates including differential access to care, exposure to environmental pollutants, and crowded conditions leading to increased exposure to allergens and infecions.�’� Although Chicago has one of the highest asthma mortality rates in the United States, there has not been a thorough analysis of demographic variables and circumstances surrounding asthma deaths in the city. The current study was undertaken in an effort to define in more detail the magnitude and parameters of asthma mortality in Chicago and to suggest factors which might be amenable to further research and prevention.

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