Asthma Emergency Visits and Hospitalization Rates Still Highest in Southeast
A New Mexico Department of Health report confirms adults and children from counties in the southeast region of the state continue to be more likely to visit the emergency department or be hospitalized for asthma than adults and children from other regions of the state.
From 2010-2012, the rate of asthma emergency department visits in the southeast region was 62.7 per 10,000 population. The northwest region had the next highest asthma emergency department rate, at 41.1 per 10,000 population.
In addition, from 2008-2012, the rate of asthma hospitalizations in the southeast region was 14.9 per 10,000 population. The northeast region had the next highest asthma hospitalization rate, at 8.5 per 10,000 population.
However, according to the report, adults and children from the southeast region are no more likely to have asthma than adults and children from other regions of the state. This suggests there are other factors contributing to the increased asthma emergency department and hospitalization rates observed in the southeast region. In particular, according to the 2011-2012 New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys, the southeast region has the highest prevalence of obesity and smoking. Obesity and smoking both make asthma more difficult to control and can contribute to worse asthma health outcomes.
In addition to these findings, the report found that 9.6 percent of New Mexico adults 18 years of age and older and 9.0 percent of New Mexico children 17 years of age and younger currently have asthma. This translates to approximately 150,000 adults and 47,000 children in New Mexico who currently have the disease.
“For a vast majority of people with asthma, the disease can be controlled and emergency department visits and hospitalizations can be avoided,” said Department of Health Secretary Retta Ward, MPH. “Good primary care is critical to reducing preventable complications from chronic diseases such as asthma”
Proper care and management include:
- Routine health care visits
- Use of proper medication
- Use of self-management techniques such as trigger recognition and reduction
The Burden of Asthma in New Mexico: 2014 Epidemiology Report can be obtained and read online. Please visit the Asthma section of our website for more information.
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