It is estimated that five to 15 percent of the population or more than 15 million people in the U.S. alone have asthma. This respiratory disease costs more than $6 billion per year in this country, much of it due to the expense of hospitalization and medication used to treat the disorder.

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting more than five million children.

Despite important strides that have been make in our understanding of asthma over the last 20 years, its prevalence has been increasing worldwide.

Asthma affects over 200,000 Iowans, including over 40,000 under age 18.

Costs associated with asthma in Iowa total over $110 million.

In Iowa

International studies suggest that children raised on a farm are somewhat protected against developing allergies and asthma.

However, at least 12 percent of children that live in rural Iowa have asthma, and some areas appear to have as much asthma as children in the inner city.

Living on a farm that raises pigs increases the chance of developing asthma, as does exposure to other livestock. In some studies, pesticide use has been associated with wheezing asthma.

Therefore, the possibility that living on a farm in Iowa decreases the chance of having asthma is unclear.

Asthma remains an important public health problem for both children and adults in Iowa.