A dubious honor

When it comes to the most difficult places for asthma sufferers to live, Richmond is the "Asthma Capital" of the country. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) ranked Richmond on top of a list of the 100 most challenging places to live with asthma for the second year in a row. Virginia Beach ranked 8th on the list.

"The dubious honor for Richmond is due to a number of factors including a higher than average pollen score, continued poor air quality, a lack of public smoking bans, high poverty and uninsured rates, and other factors," the group announced recently.

For the past 8 years, the AAFA has conducted the study, considering the death rate of asthma sufferers within the area, the rate of pediatric asthma, air pollution, and smoking regulations. Richmond held 14th place in 2009, but leaped to 1st in 2010. Fourteen of the 25 worst cities are in southern U.S. states.

The study suggests that, along with high levels of air pollution, the lack of anti-smoking regulation in the south adds to the problem. But the smoking factor may be diminishing. Last week, the CDC predicted that all U.S. states will ban smoking in restaurants, bars, and work areas by 2020. While no state had a comprehensive indoor smoking ban in 2000, twenty-five states have such bans today. Only seven states have no indoor smoking restrictions.

"It is by no means a foregone conclusion that we'll get there by 2020," said Dr. Tim McAfee, director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "I'm relatively bullish we'll at least get close to that number."

Studies have indicated that there is a link between secondhand smoking and asthma attacks among children.

Asthma is one of the most common diseases in the country; 20 million people suffer from the disease. Over 500,000 people are hospitalized due to asthma every year, leading to approximately $18 billion in medical expenses and related costs every year. Asthma results in over 4,000 deaths annually.

"Although Richmond is a particularly difficult place for people with asthma to live, asthma triggers are present in every American city," said Mike Tringale, AAFA's Vice President of External Affairs, in a news release."There is no way for asthma patients to escape their disease, but no matter where they live, patients can work with their physicians to find ways to control their symptoms better."

People with asthma suffer from the swelling of air passages that leads to the constriction and clogging of airways. Allergens inhaled into the lungs cause coughing, tightness in the chest, and difficulty breathing.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, over 400,000 adults and 150,000 children report suffering from asthma in Virginia.

Richmond received "worse than average" marks on asthma prevalence, death rate for asthma, annual pollen score, air quality, smoke-free laws, poverty rate, uninsured rate, and number of asthma specialists. Virginia Beach received "worse than average" grades on asthma prevalence, annual pollen score, air quality, smoke free laws, and number of asthma specialists. No other Virginia city is on the list.

Following Richmond on the list is Knoxville, Tenn.; Memphis, Tenn.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Tulsa, Okla.; St. Louis, Mo.; Augusta, Ga.; Virginia Beach, Va.; Philadelphia, Pa.; and Nashville, Tenn.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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