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Date: Thursday, February 20, 1997 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: NHBLI Communications Office (301) 496-4236 AAAAI Press Office 415-978-3719 (After 8 AM Pacific on 2/22)
The expert panel was created by the Institute=s
National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP). Over
the last two years, the panel has reviewed the scientific evidence
on the diagnosis and management of asthma to update the NAEPP=s
first clinical practice guidelines, released in 1991.
The new report provides the latest information about how to diagnose
and manage asthma, including identifying and controlling factors
that trigger asthma, effectively using existing and new medications,
and helping asthma patients become proficient in managing their
own condition and preventing symptoms.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease characterized by
recurrent breathing problems. There has been a dramatic increase
in the number of Americans who have asthma and in the number of
deaths and hospitalizations resulting from this disease. Asthma
prevalence has increased from less than 7 million persons in 1980
to more than 14 million people in 1994.
The press conference speakers are: NHLBI Director Dr. Claude Lenfant;
AAAAI President Dr. Philip Fireman; Dr. Shirley Murphy, expert
panel chair; and panel members Dr. Harold S. Nelson
and Dr. William Busse.
The press conference will be held in Room 204 of the Moscone Center,
747 Howard St. in San Francisco.
Additional information on NAEPP is available at: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/nhlbi/n9