U.S. study finds asthma under-diagnosed

U.S. study finds asthma under-diagnosed CHICAGO (Reuters) - A study of inner-city school children in Chicago released Saturday found that asthma may be more prevalent than previously thought and that many suffering from it are not being treated properly. In a survey of 638 kindergarten children in 11 schools, researchers found that the prevalence of diagnosed asthma was 10.8 percent, or twice the 5.8 percent the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates in such a population nationally. Researchers at Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center also estimated that the prevalence of undiagnosed asthma among such children may be as high as 7.5 percent. ``We do not know to what extent the results are generalizable to other cities. We do know that in many other cities the poor and minorities do experience a high degree of morbidity from asthma,'' lead researcher Evalyn Grant told Reuters. The study also found that most of the children with diagnosed asthma had ``some evidence to suggest a high burden of illness,'' the report said. ``These children appear to be receiving medical care, but this care may not be consistent with pharmacotherapeutic treatment specified by asthma care guidelines that have been in place since 1971,'' it added. The report was published in the August issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, issued by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.