Decreases in Hispanic and non-Hispanic asthma mortality.

BACKGROUND: Rates of death from asthma in the United States increased from 0.8 per 100,000 general population in 1977-1978 to 2.1 in 1994-1996, but they have decreased since then to 1.5 in 2001.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate changes in asthma mortality among Hispanics in the United States.

METHODS: Collection and graphing of data from the National Center for Health Statistics identifying asthma (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes J45-J46) as the underlying cause of death in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia among Hispanics and non-Hispanics.

RESULTS: Deaths from asthma among Hispanics decreased from 320 in 1999 to 274 in 2001, whereas deaths among non-Hispanics decreased from 4,324 to 3,976. Rates of death from asthma among Hispanics decreased from 1.0 per 100,000 general population in 1999 to 0.7 in 2001, whereas those for non-Hispanics decreased from 1.84 to 1.6. Rates have been much higher for non-Hispanic blacks than for non-Hispanic whites but have decreased for both. Death rates from asthma have been higher among Hispanic females than males but have decreased for both.

CONCLUSIONS: Asthma mortality in the United States has been decreasing since 1999 among Hispanics and non-Hispanics. These changes are consistent with better management of asthma.