ATLANTA - The government says asthma rates, which rose steadily in the United States since the 1980s, may be leveling off or even decreasing. <br>
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 17.2 deaths from asthma for every one million people in the United States in 1999. The rate had been between 20 and 22 from 1995 to 1998. <br>
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The rate of hospitalizations from asthma rose slightly -- 17.6 for every 10,000 people in 1999, compared with 15.7 in 1998. But that figure leveled off in the late 1990s after hovering near 20 over the 1980s and early 1990s. <br>
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CDC epidemiologist Doctor David Mannino said it's too early to tell whether the figures represent a steady decline in asthma. Also, the CDC warned that the numbers may be skewed because the survey used by the agency to collect asthma data was slightly changed in 1997. <br>
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Blacks were about 14 percent more likely than whites to have had an asthma attack in the past year. Mannino said the CDC is studying the disparity, likely related to gaps in health care access. <br>
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The CDC says about 15 million American adults suffer from asthma, a chronic respiratory ailment marked by wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and tightness of the chest.
