Worldwide Differences in Asthma Prevalence and Mortality: Why is Asthma Mortality So Low in the USA?  Ann J. Woolcock, M.D., F.C.C.P.  CHEST  Volume 90, Issue 5, Pages 40S-45S (November 1986) DOI: 10.1378/chest.90.5_Supplement.40S Copyright © 1986 The American College of Chest Physicians Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 Deaths from asthma per 100,000 population since 1959 in five- to 34-year-old subjects in New Zealand (NZ), Australia (Aust), West Germany, England and Wales and USA. (Data from Jackson et al,1 by permission). CHEST 1986 90, 40S-45SDOI: (10.1378/chest.90.5_Supplement.40S) Copyright © 1986 The American College of Chest Physicians Terms and Conditions

Figure 2 Deaths from asthma per 100,000 population in five- to 34-year-old individuals during 1980. Figures in brackets are death rates in people of all ages. CHEST 1986 90, 40S-45SDOI: (10.1378/chest.90.5_Supplement.40S) Copyright © 1986 The American College of Chest Physicians Terms and Conditions

Figure 3 Deaths from asthma per 100,000 population in USA and New Zealand during 1980 as a function of age. CHEST 1986 90, 40S-45SDOI: (10.1378/chest.90.5_Supplement.40S) Copyright © 1986 The American College of Chest Physicians Terms and Conditions

Figure 4 Deaths from asthma per 100,000 population in all age groups in relation to the prevalence of asthma in New Zealand (NZ), Australia, United Kingdom (UK), Sweden, USA and in Arizona and Michigan (WHO figures). CHEST 1986 90, 40S-45SDOI: (10.1378/chest.90.5_Supplement.40S) Copyright © 1986 The American College of Chest Physicians Terms and Conditions

Figure 5 Rate of decline of FEV1 over 20 years for two patients with asthma. The predicted rate of normal decline in FEV1 is shown. CHEST 1986 90, 40S-45SDOI: (10.1378/chest.90.5_Supplement.40S) Copyright © 1986 The American College of Chest Physicians Terms and Conditions

Figure 6 Reported prevalence of current asthma in children. Figures in brackets are the age ranges of children studied. CHEST 1986 90, 40S-45SDOI: (10.1378/chest.90.5_Supplement.40S) Copyright © 1986 The American College of Chest Physicians Terms and Conditions

Figure 7 Typical dose-response curves to histamine in asthmatic and normal subjects, showing the range of values for subjects with severe, moderate, mild and intermediate bronchial hyperresponsiveness and normal responsiveness. CHEST 1986 90, 40S-45SDOI: (10.1378/chest.90.5_Supplement.40S) Copyright © 1986 The American College of Chest Physicians Terms and Conditions

Figure 8 The distribution of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in children and adults in Australia, showing the percentage of the sample in each category of severity. The categories of severe, moderate, mild and intermediate are the same as shown in Figure 7. CHEST 1986 90, 40S-45SDOI: (10.1378/chest.90.5_Supplement.40S) Copyright © 1986 The American College of Chest Physicians Terms and Conditions

Figure 9 Unit sales of drugs used in the treatment of asthma in Australia during Í984-85. Inhaled drugs include metered aerosols and solutions for respirators, and account for 58 percent of the units. Oral drugs include liquid and tablets, and account for 42 percent. CHEST 1986 90, 40S-45SDOI: (10.1378/chest.90.5_Supplement.40S) Copyright © 1986 The American College of Chest Physicians Terms and Conditions