QuickStats: Percentage* of All Emergency Department (ED) Visits† Made by Patients with Asthma,§ by Sex and Age Group — National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, United States 2014–2015

Weekly / February 9, 2018 / 67(5);167

The figure above is a bar graph showing that during 2014–2015, patients who had asthma documented in the medical record accounted for 9.5% of all ED visits in the United States, with the highest percentage for children aged 5–17 years (13.6%), compared with 6.6% for children aged 0–4 years, 9.9% for adults aged 18–64 years, and 6.5% for those aged ≥65 years. Among those aged 0–4 years, boys were more likely than girls to have a visit with asthma recorded, but for the older age groups, 18–64 and ≥65, women with asthma documented were more likely than men to have an ED visit. The difference by sex for those aged 5–17 years was not statistically significant.

* With 95% confidence intervals indicated with error bars.

† Based on a sample of visits to EDs in noninstitutional general and short-stay hospitals, exclusive of federal, military, and Veterans Administration hospitals, located in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

§ Defined as ED visits made by patients with documentation in the medical record of a diagnosis of asthma, regardless of the diagnosis for the current visit.

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During 2014–2015, patients who had asthma documented in the medical record accounted for 9.5% of all ED visits in the United States, with the highest percentage for children aged 5–17 years (13.6%), compared with 6.6% for children aged 0–4 years, 9.9% for adults aged 18–64 years, and 6.5% for those aged ≥65 years. Among those aged 0–4 years, boys were more likely than girls to have a visit with asthma recorded, but for the older age groups, 18–64 and ≥65, women with asthma documented were more likely than men to have an ED visit. The difference by sex for those aged 5–17 years was not statistically significant.

Source: NCHS, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2014–2015.

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Reported by: Jill J. Ashman, PhD, jashman@cdc.gov, 301-458-4439; Pinyao Rui, MPH; Carol J. DeFrances, PhD.

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Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Percentage of All Emergency Department (ED) Visits Made by Patients with Asthma, by Sex and Age Group — National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, United States 2014–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:167. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6705a5 .