More than 14 million Americans reported having asthma in 2000, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Asthma is a leading contributor of limited activity and absences from work and school; it also causes 5,000 deaths each year in the U.S. NHLBI estimates that the annual direct and indirect costs of asthma were $12.7 billion in 2000.
The NHLBI Centers for Reducing Disparities in Asthma initiative directly addresses one of the top four priorities of the U.S. Department of Health in Human Services' (HHS) "Action Against Asthma." Released in May 2000, this strategic plan was developed to help achieve the national Healthy People 2010 goals for asthma. NHLBI is a component of the National Institutes of Health, an HHS agency.
NHLBI supports other educational programs to encourage early diagnosis and effective treatment of asthma and to decrease asthma disparities. Through the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP), the Institute funds several coalitions serving communities with exceptionally high rates of asthma-related illnesses and deaths, and it provides a vital communications network for more than 40 local asthma coalitions nationwide.
Information on asthma, the NAEPP, and other NHLBI-supported research and educational programs is available online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov. Related resources are listed below: