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Asthma Hospitalizations and Mortality in Chicago: An Epidemiologic Overview
Section snippets
Study Populations
The primary study population comprised residents of Chicago, IL, which is located in Cook County. For comparison purposes, data were also obtained when appropriate for suburban residents of Cook County, IL, and the US population.
Data Sources
Hospitalization data for Chicagoans and non-Chicago residents of Illinois were obtained from the 1996 Research-Oriented Data Set of the Illinois Health Care Cost Containment Council (IHCCCC) in Springfield, IL. The IHCCCC collects and disseminates information on
Hospitalizations
In 1996, there were 11,926 asthma hospitalizations in Illinois for Chicago residents, or 42.8 per 10,000 population. This is more than twice the hospitalization rate for asthma in 19954 for the United States (19.5) and in 1996 for suburban Cook County (18.5 per 10,000). Most Chicago residents were hospitalized within the city (87.7%) or suburban Cook County (12.2%).
In a pattern similar to national data,4 hospitalizations for Chicago residents showed a complex relationship with age, as shown in
Discussion
We have attempted in our analyses to provide a comprehensive perspective on two topics, asthma-related hospitalization and mortality, that could each be the subject of lengthier investigations. In expanding both the breadth and the depth of prior publications based on Chicago-specific data, we have identified some common underlying themes and some notable differences.
Although Chicago has a higher asthma hospitalization rate than the nation overall, we were unable to detect evidence for unique
Conclusion
Asthma is a significant and growing public health concern for Chicago, particularly for African Americans. Comorbidities more common in urban environments, such as substance abuse, may play a unique role in determining the distribution of adverse outcomes within the population. Different adverse asthma outcomes may vary in their risk profiles, and this should be taken into account when developing research and intervention strategies. Current data sources are not adequate to answer some
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank Cristopher Lyttle for his assistance with the IHCCCC data set, and Cristal Simmons for her assistance with the poverty data.
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