CHAPTER I • INTRODUCTION • Asthma is a long-term, inflammatory condition that affects the lung, which results to a difficulty of breathing of a person experiencing it (Morris, 2011). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 235 million people worldwide are affected by asthma. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , the number of people with asthma increased by 4.3 million from 2001 to 2009 and that during this time period, asthma rates rose the most (almost 50 percent) in black children. In 2007, asthma was linked to 3,447 deaths in the United States. (Morris, 2011)
Severe asthma is a serious health concern that can lead to respiratory failure. Each year in the United States, as many as 470,000 people seek hospital treatment for asthma-related symptoms and the disease causes about 5000 deaths. Despite its prevalence, experts differ in the definition of the disease. Clinical authorities typically favor a broad, comprehensive definition. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, defines asthma as: "A chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways (which causes recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing, particularly at night or in the early morning) usually associated with widespread but variable airflow obstruction that is often reversible, either spontaneously or with treatment." (Homer SD, 2009) Asthma was recognized in Ancient Egypt. Hippocrates (~400 BC) was the first to use the term “Asthma” (Greek for “wind” or “to blow”) for panting and respiratory distress. He is considered to be the physician who identified the relationship between the environment and respiratory disease correlating climate and location with illness. In 200 BC it