Asthma is a disease that affects your lungs. It causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. Asthma can be controlled by taking medicine and avoiding triggers that cause an attack. You must also remove the triggers in your environment that can make your asthma worse.
- One in 16 children (6.4%) and one in 13 adults (7.4%) currently have asthma, adding up to around 393,000 Minnesotans who have asthma.
- An estimated one in 10 middle and high school students (grades 6-12) (10.6%) in Minnesota currently have asthma.
- In 2014, there were 21,800 emergency department visits and 3,400 hospitalizations for asthma across Minnesota.
- American Indian and African American middle/high school students are more likely than other students to have been diagnosed with asthma.
- In 2014, asthma cost an estimated $669.3 million, including $614.9 million in direct medical expenses and $54.3 million in lost work days.