Trivia: It Takes Your Breath Away (Part 2)

Asthma

Asthma is an inflammatory disorder of the airways, which is characterized by attacks of wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.

World Health Organization (WHO) statistics show that between 100 and 150 million people worldwide have asthma, and the number is increasing. Worldwide, asthma deaths number more than 180,000 each year. The Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) fact sheet on asthma says that in 2001, 20.3 million Americans had the condition. Meanwhile, the 2001 Health Canada report Respiratory Disease in Canada, states that in 1998–1999, 1,629,000 adults and 845,000 children and teens had asthma. Further, the Canadian Lung Association reports that approximately 20 children and 500 adults die in Canada each year from asthma.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

COPD is a name for several disorders characterized by persistent or recurring obstruction airflow, such as chronic bronchitis, asthma, or emphysema.

According to the CDC, COPD is a leading cause of death, illness, and disability in the US. In 2000, COPD was responsible for 119,000 deaths, 726,000 hospitalizations, and 1.5 million ER visits. The 2001 Health Canada report Respiratory Disease in Canada, states that in 1998–1999, 498,000 Canadians aged 35 and older were diagnosed with COPD. For 1998, there were 5,398 deaths among males and 3,643 among females, which together amounted to 4% of deaths.

In 80% to 90% of cases, smoking is the underlying cause of COPD.

Also see our item: Trivia: COPD Stats.

Lung Cancer

The American Lung Association states that, for 2002, an estimated 169,400 new cases of lung cancer and an estimated 154,900 deaths from lung cancer occurred. And the 2001 Health Canada report Respiratory Disease in Canada, states that lung cancer is the leading cancer death in Canada, representing 30% of male and 20% of female cancer deaths. According to 1998 statistics, in Canada, there were 14,438 deaths due to lung cancer. Of these deaths, 30% were people under age 65, and 70% were people 65 or over.

An estimated 95% of lung cancer cases are caused by tobacco.

Discuss This Article

Have something you'd like to say? Tell us what you think! Read and post comments for this article.

Find a Job

Choose your career:

MedHunters is the world's biggest healthcare job board. Our job directory has 17,334 jobs with 2,352 hospitals and other direct employers.

We want you to find your next job on MedHunters. Need Help? Call us at 1-888-884-8242, email us at info@medhunters.com or sign up now.