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Key Statistics

More statistics are available at www.lungusa.org.

• Lung Disease
• Smoking
• Asthma

Lung Disease

• Lung disease is the No. 3 killer in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer. It is responsible for 1 in 6 deaths. ^I
• More than 35 million Americans have chronic lung disease. ^II
• Overall, various forms of lung disease and breathing problems constitute one of the leading causes of death in babies under the age of one year, accounting for 20.2 percent of infant deaths in 2004. ^III
• Lung disease costs the U.S. economy $95 billion in direct healthcare expenditures every year. ^IV
• The lung disease death rate has been continuously increasing while death rates due to other leading causes of death -- such as heart disease, cancer and stroke -- have been declining. ^V
• Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in both men and women in the United States. In 1987, it surpassed breast cancer to become the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. ^VI
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in America, claiming the lives of 127,049 Americans in 2005. ^VII

Smoking

• An estimated 438,000 Americans die each year from diseases directly related to cigarette smoking, including heart and lung diseases. ^VIII
• Almost 90 percent of adult smokers began at or before age 18. ^IX
• Tobacco use costs the U.S. approximately $193 billion each year: $97 billon from loss of productivity due to premature death and $96 billion in smoking-related health care costs. ^X
• Smoking causes about 90 percent of lung cancer deaths in men and almost 80 percent of lung cancer deaths in women. ^XI
• Smoking is the primary risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Approximately 80 to 90 percent of COPD deaths are caused by smoking. ^XII

Asthma

• Close to 22.9 million Americans currently have asthma. Nationwide, asthma affects an estimated 6.8 million children under 18. ^XIII
• Asthma costs the U.S. economy an estimated $19.7 billion each year. This consists of $14.7 billion in direct healthcare costs and $5 billion in indirect costs (e.g., lost productivity). ^XIV
• Asthma in Maryland: It's estimated that about 7.8 percent of adults - that's 324,733 people -- have asthma. For children, it's estimated that 7.6 percent, or 106,000 children, have asthma. Those statistics are from the state Family Health Administration's Asthma Control Program 2005 report, and they are the most recent available.
• Asthma in Virginia: About 13.3 percent of adults, or 748,668 people, have had asthma at some point in their lives, according to a 2006 report by the Virginia Department of Health. In that same report, it was noted that about 7.3 percent (412,370) of adults and 9 percent (152,277) of children in Virginia currently had asthma.
• Asthma in North Carolina: Asthma affects 6.5 percent of adults and 18 percent of children in the state, according to the 2006 report by the North Carolina Asthma Program.

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