Patterns of inpatient and outpatient care for asthma in Erie and Niagara Counties, western New York State.

The prevalence of asthma, as well as the morbidity and mortality due to asthma, has increased in the United States, especially among poor minority subpopulations. The causes of these increases are complex and not well understood. Our findings from an analysis of emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations for Erie and Niagara Counties in western New York State for the period 1984-1991 provides important background to this problem. Of all respiratory disorders, asthma was the most frequent reason for ER visits and was second only to pneumonia as a reason for hospital admissions. In Erie County the hospitalization rates for asthma in two inner-city communities with predominantly minority populations were 1.48 and 2.09 times higher than those in the rest of the county. Furthermore, the hospitalization rates for these communities showed an increasing trend over the study period. Gender differences were also found. Boys age 0 to 9 years were hospitalized for asthma twice as often as girls. However, over 15 years of age, females had admission rates that were twice those of males. In contrast, hospitalization rates for pneumonia were equal for males and females, which would suggest gender differences particular to asthma. Hospitalizations for asthma in the western New York region cost an estimated $6,000,000 in 1990. We conclude that asthma is a major cause of morbidity in this region with excessive and increasing impact on inner-city communities.