NEW ASTHMA CAPITALS RANKINGS ANNOUNCED: KNOXVILLE, TN AT NUMBER 1; WASHINGTON, DC JUMPS TO NUMBER 5

Experts Call for Better Understanding of Allergic Asthma and Asthma Control (www.AsthmaCapitals.com)

Contact:  Alice Sofield (703) 768-5618, ASofield@ccapr.com

WASHINGTON, February 16, 2005 -- – The blooming of the cherry blossoms is still a few weeks away, but their arrival will mark a peak in the pollen count that may leave those suffering from allergic asthma in our nation’s capital short of breath. According to the second annual U.S. Asthma Capitals rankings released today by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), Knoxville, TN remains the top Asthma Capital while Washington, DC jumped from #50 last year to the number five position in this year’s ranking of the 100 most challenging places to live for people with asthma. Washington and Knoxville join Memphis, TN (#2), Louisville, KY (#3) and Toledo, OH (#4) as the top five cities on the list this year. 

More than 20 million Americans suffer from asthma, [i]  and more than half of them suffer specifically from allergic asthma. [ii] Current research indicates that nearly half of asthma sufferers do not have their asthma under control, [iii] and public awareness of the most common form of asthma -- allergic asthma -- remains low. [iv] To address this issue, AAFA has created a new resource, the Allergic Asthma and Asthma Control Scorecard, to encourage better understanding of allergic asthma, emphasize key factors of asthma control and drive patients to act. Patients can log on to www.AsthmaCapitals.com for more information.

“Uncontrolled asthma remains a significant problem in this country, and identifying the core cause of the disease and its triggers is often the first step to better management and control,” said Derek Johnson, MD, director of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, Temple University Children’s Medical Center. “Patients need to know whether their asthma is allergic and that there are therapies available that go beyond treating the symptoms of the disease.”  

The U.S. Asthma Capitals list ranks the top 100 metropolitan areas in the United States, based on twelve factors including:

• Estimated prevalence
• Reported prevalence
• Mortality
• Annual pollen level
• Annual air quality
• Public smoking laws
• Number of asthma specialists
• School inhaler access laws
• Rescue medication use per patient
• Controller medication use per patient
• Uninsured rate
• Poverty rate    

Topping the list this year are Knoxville, TN (#1), Memphis, TN (#2), Louisville, KY (#3), Toledo, OH (#4) and Washington, DC (#5). A complete list is available at www.AsthmaCapitals.com. 

The Allergic Asthma and Asthma Control Scorecard

This year, in addition to the overall rankings, AAFA took a closer look at seven of the 12 factors to create a new resource: the Allergic Asthma and Asthma Control Scorecard, to emphasize allergic asthma and asthma control issues in each metro area. The seven factors selected for the Scorecard include annual pollen level, rescue and controller medication usage, access to asthma specialists, poverty rate, uninsured rate and school inhaler access laws. Patients can access the Scorecard for their metro area, along with information about allergic asthma, asthma control and treatment online at www.AsthmaCapitals.com. This information can then be downloaded to share with an asthma specialist in their area.

“This year the Asthma Capitals report is a call-to-action for people with asthma to find out if their asthma is allergic and to get it under control,” said Mike Tringale of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. “AAFA believes it is important to educate people with asthma so they can better understand the disease and its triggers, motivating them to seek help from a specialist.”

Asthma: A Public Health Concern 

While asthma is a chronic disease affecting more than 20 million Americans [v], many people are not aware of the severity and causes of the disease, nor of the impact asthma has on Americans:

• 14.6 million missed days of school each year, asthma is the leading cause of absenteeism [vi]
• 14.5 million missed days of work for adults each year [vii]
• 100 million days of restricted physical activity for children and adults each year [viii]
• 1.9 million emergency room visits [ix]
• $14 billion in medical expenses and indirect costs [x]
• Approximately 5,000 deaths annually [xi]

About Allergic Asthma

Of the 20 million Americans living with asthma [xii], the latest research shows that more than 50 percent suffer from allergic asthma [xiii], making it the most common form of the disease. Allergic asthma is triggered by exposure to allergens like pollen, dust mites and mold. During the spring season, allergens such as pollen are the most troublesome. Aside from knowing the triggers, it is important that allergic asthma sufferers understand the role of an antibody called immunoglobulin E, or IgE, which is a key component of the allergic cascade that triggers asthma symptoms. Current asthma therapies generally treat the symptoms of asthma, not the underlying cause of the disease. However, recent advances in understanding the role of IgE have led to novel approaches in asthma management.

Asthma Capitals^™

The Asthma Capitals is an annual research project of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The ranking was based on more than 12 sources of state and municipal data and was categorized by risk factors, medical factors and prevalence factors. Researchers examined a wide range of data including annual pollen levels, smoking laws, air quality, number of asthma medication prescriptions per capita and morbidity and mortality statistics. A full listing of the U.S. Asthma Capitals rankings and the Allergic Asthma and Asthma Control Scorecard can be accessed online at www.AsthmaCapitals.com.

About AAFA

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is the leading nonprofit consumer and patient organization fighting asthma and allergic diseases. AAFA provides free information to the public, offers educational programs to consumers and health professionals, leads advocacy efforts to improve patient care and supports research to find cures. The 2005 Asthma Capitals ranking and new Allergic Asthma and Asthma Control Scorecard is part of AAFA’s educational initiative, which is made possible by financial support from Genentech, Inc. and Novartis.