Asthma statistics - wondering ....

May 1, 2007

I wonder if there are statistics about people who have asthma such as where they

grew up (type of climate, geography, city or rural) typical date of onset,

family history of asthma or lung diseases or other diseases that tend to run in

their family? I know that MS for instance (and asthma is a totally different

" critter " ) has a loose profile of people who grew up in cold damp climates

although there are many people who are from other areas.

For instance I grew up in a cold damp climate in the upper midwest in a small

town but as an adult live around the Gulf Coast with lots of mold and

year-round allergens. My allergies were obviously going on in infancy and I can

remember them at least back to kindergarten. They were more seasonal, though,

in the north except for some foods such as acid based fruits. There were some

pets outside but no animals allowed in the house. (now I have 3 cats and a dog

in the house!) Exercise-induced asthma was poorly recognized back then even

though I definitely had it. My grandfather must have had asthma from the

descriptions (he was dead long before I was born) but I'm not aware of anyone

else in my extended family having allergies as severely as I do or for as long.

Also curious still about Xolair in terms of what types respond fastest and to

the greatest extent. I'm assuming Genentech is gathering some sort of

statistics on this.

I've been reading about other types of monoclonal antibody treatments for

other diseases assumed to be autoimmune and have found that apparently people or

families with one type of autoimmune disorder are more likely to have other

autoimmune disorders in their families. My husband will be starting one of

those for MS but obviously they are different chemically and in their mode of

action and the way they are administered.

I'm up for my 4th set of Xolair shots this week-end. Sure hope I actually

FEEL something better soon.

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