More children are hospitalized in the Bronx than in any of the city's five boroughs, according to the city's department of health. In 1993, New York City children were hospitalized for asthma at more than four times the national rate, according to the health department. Nationwide, about 1.8 million people go annually to emergency rooms for asthma treatment, with more than 460,000 hospitalized. Once every half-hour, says Scott Schroeder, MD, an associate professor of clinical pediatrics at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, a child is hospitalized for asthma in New York City. Lots of school is missed, lots of coughing at nighttime, a lot of hospitalizations.
Experts say a lack of education about asthma is much of the reason.
Asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, can flare up when exacerbated by many things, from cockroach droppings to cigarette smoke to running. It has numerous suspected risk factors, such as children who lead sedentary lifestyles in front of televisions and computers, and who may be more exposed to allergens inside their homes. Many of these children aren't getting proper medical attention. One recent study shows that one in five children in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., were receiving the wrong or no asthma treatment. She also blames poor medical treatment and lack of exercise.