  Since I am both asthmatic and have allergy problems,this urlLink article was interesting . I wonder if this has something to do with everyone and their mother smoking over in Europe.
Now I have to check the numbers in America. And here's some more urlLink info about asthma. And here are some facts from this urlLink place : Asthma has increased over time in the United States. In 1980, 3.1 out of 100 people had asthma. By 1994, 5.4 out of 100 people had asthma. This is an increase of 75 percent (MMWR, 1998). The largest increase in asthma was in children age 4 or younger. In 1980, 2.2 out of 100 young children had asthma.
In 1994, 5.8 out of 100 young children had asthma. The rate increased by 160 percent (MMWR, 1998). The number of children ages 5 to 14 with asthma increased by 75 percent. In 1980, 4.3 out of 100 children had asthma. In 1994, 7.4 out of 100 children had asthma (MMWR, 1998). Asthma does not affect all people in the same way. The burden of asthma is greater among blacks, adult women, and boys. 10.6 million people in this country have an asthma attack each year (NCHS, 2001).
The asthma attack rate is higher in children than in adults. 5.3 out of 100 children have an asthma attack each year. 3.9 out of 100 adults have an asthma attack each year (NCHS, 2001). The asthma attack rate is higher among blacks than whites or Hispanics (NCHS, 2001). 5.0 out of 100 blacks have an asthma attack each year. 3.9 out of 100 whites and 3.6 out of 100 Hispanics have an asthma attack each year. Blacks also have higher rates of hospital stays and death due to asthma. These rates are three times higher in blacks than in whites in the United States (MMWR, 1998). 
