The Complexity of Treating Asthma

Abstract

The World Health Report of 1997 (1), issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), focused on chronic diseases. The report noted that chronic diseases are responsible for more than 24 million deaths a year, or about half the rate of mortality in the world. A major contributor to the mortality rate is chronic respiratory disorders, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Had the WHO Report summarized economic data on chronic disorders, they might have reported that total costs for people with chronic conditions in the United States alone amounted to $659 billion–$425 billion in direct healthcare costs and $234 billion in indirect costs-in 1990 (2). In short, chronic illness accounts for more than 60% of the $1 trillion spent on medical care in the United States (3). Despite the impact of chronic disease around the world, the WHO insisted that throughout the life span