In Maine, almost 150,000 people live with asthma. Maine is one of the few states where asthma affects more adults than children. Approximately 1 in 9 adults in Maine has asthma compared to
1 in 12 nationally.
Learn How to Control Asthma
While there is no cure for asthma, asthma can be controlled and managed. Here are some ways to decrease your risk of asthma attacks.
- Know the symptoms. An asthma attack may include coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, and trouble breathing.
- See your doctor for regular check-ups and have a written asthma action plan.
- Avoid things that make your asthma worse, like cigarette smoke, dust, perfumes, or
furry animals. - Take your medicine exactly as your doctor tells you.
- Know the difference between your quick-relief and long-term control inhaler, and when
to use each.
Explore Updated Asthma Data
Answer your questions about asthma rates and trends with two new years of asthma data now available on the Maine Tracking Network. Use maps to find out what Maine towns and counties have the most hospital visits for asthma. For example, using the data portal, you can find out that about 40 out of every 10,000 Mainers visited the emergency department (ED) for asthma in 2016.
While adults in Maine have higher prevalence of asthma than children, children ages 0-4 have the highest rates of ED visits and hospitalizations for asthma. Make a chart to compare rates of ED visits by age and gender.
Learn More:
- Check out asthma prevalence, ED, and hospitalization rates on the data portal.
- Follow @MEPublicHealth on Twitter and @MaineCDC on Facebook to see more asthma tips and data highlights.
- Download information cards on asthma and learn more about asthma in Maine.
- Find out more about controlling and managing your asthma.