When TV journalist Harold Dow died due to an asthma attack, many were shocked. But just how rare is death from asthma?
Asthma affects an estimated 20 million Americans. Overall, deaths from asthma attacks are rare since the advent of inhalers; just 4,000 to 5,000 deaths per year are attributed to asthma. But many of these are preventable with proper care and treatment, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. And asthma mortality rates are roughly 5 times higher for African Americans. Whether the cause is genetic or linked to socio-economic factors is unclear.
Harold Dow, a veteran correspondent for CBS news program “48 Hours,” was suffering from adult onset asthma at the time of his death. A few days before his death, he went to the emergency room for severe asthma symptoms.
Dow isn’t the only asthma victim to make the news recently. Elbert Jovante Woods, the 16-year-old son of former NFL football running back Ickey Woods, died three days after suffering an asthma attack. And in Alberta, Canada, an investigation is underway as to what might have caused 4 people there to die of asthma in just a 2-week period.
And scientists warn we may be seeing more asthma deaths in the future. With global warming raising temperatures worldwide, air pollution in urban areas is likely to increase. Greater ground-level ozone will trigger more attacks, causing more fatalities.
Get the facts about asthma and how to prevent it
