CT asthma rates up, cities hit hardest

A CT Health I-Team analysis of new DPH data finds that almost one in ten CT adults had asthma in 2009, up from 7.8% in 2000. Adults in CT’s five largest cities are three times more likely to visit an ER or be hospitalized for asthma than the state average. We often forget that it can be a fatal disease; urban adult state residents are also twice as likely to die of asthma. The urban/suburban divide is also reflected among children – 19.2% of children in Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven and Bridgeport suffer from the disease while only 7.4% of students in Darien, Madison and Greenwich are affected. It’s also very costly – CT spends over $17 million and $6 million annually on asthma hospitalizations and ER visits, respectively, mainly paid for by Medicaid and Medicare. The article describes nine programs and initiatives aimed at helping patients manage and prevent the disease.
Ellen Andrews