title: Crisis in asthma care.
abstract: Reports of increases in both hospitalizations and deaths due to asthma have provided a sense of crisis in asthma care. This article examines issues concerning this sense of crisis. The authors review current trends in prevalence, morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality from asthma and examine possible reasons for changes that have occurred. A review of data suggesting that asthma can result in irreversible, chronic airway obstruction is presented. Finally, the authors discuss the role of the primary care physician in the management of asthma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy and Pulmonary Medicine, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Missouri.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Bloomberg
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Strunk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D005194:Family Practice; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009017:Morbidity; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis