Asthma is a clinical syndrome presenting itself with inflamed airways. The inflammation can occur along the whole airway from the lungs to the nose. As the process continues, the airway becomes narrower, making it difficult for enough air to penetrate the lung tissue. This presents with asthma symptoms, including wheezing, inability to breath, chest tightness, and coughing.

During an asthma attack, the muscles around the airways become inflamed, restricting airflow and making the symptoms worse. Today, asthma is the leading chronic childhood disorder affecting over 8 million kids in the U.S. Overall, it affects over 26 million U.S. citizens. Here are the U.S. states with the highest Asthma rates:

1. Ohio
Approximately 1.3 million adults in Ohio have been diagnosed with asthma in their lifetime. And about 0.3 million children in this state have been diagnosed with this syndrome. More than 43% of adults diagnosed with the disease miss some workdays. In terms of color, black adults have reported the highest asthma infections than their white counterparts. And adult women have significantly higher asthma rates than men. Another crucial defining factor is that people living below the poverty line report a higher rate of asthma infections. As compared to men, adult women report twice the number of asthma patients as men.

2. Kentucky
In Kentucky, over 1 million people have been diagnosed with asthma in their lifetime. Adult lifetime asthma prevalence is approximately 15.2%, with the current prevalence standing at 10%. Some health data shows that over 100,000 children had asthma in the year 2010 alone. Children’s lifetime asthma prevalence stands here at 14.8%, with their current prevalence standing at 9.8%.

3. Michigan
The 2017-2019 asthma data in Michigan shows that over 13% of adults have been diagnosed with asthma. Additionally, over 11.7% of children have been diagnosed with the disease. The prevalence of asthma in children was 5.5% which is higher than the country’s prevalence. During this period, over 80 people lost their lives in the state. According to the inpatient data, there are over 2,200 asthma patient hospitalizations annually.

4. Massachusetts
Asthma statistics in Massachusetts are currently, about 1 in every 10 individuals has been diagnosed with asthma. Asthma lifetime prevalence among adults is higher than the country’s prevalence. Prevalence of current asthma is higher in Female adults than males; smokers, male children than female children, homes living below the poverty line, blacks than whites, and disability-affected families.

5. Virginia
According to the Asthma Burden Report of 2016 in Virginia the current asthma prevalence was higher in females than males, with 11.6% and 5.3% prevalence rates, respectively. In terms of race/ethnicity, blacks reported significantly higher asthma rates as compared to whites. In terms of income, asthma rates were higher in the families living below the poverty line.

6. Pennsylvania
The lifetime Pennsylvanian asthma prevalence stands at over 14%. This means that over 1.4 Pennsylvanians have been diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. The current asthma prevalence in this state stands at 9.7%. This means that about 1 million adults have asthma in this state. As with other states, adult females have higher asthma rates (12.7%) as compared to males (6.1%). Prevalence is higher with patients diagnosed with diabetes (13.8%) than the ones without (8%).