Asthma is a disease of the lungs that often leads to repeated episodes of wheezing, chest tightness, breathlessness, and early morning or nighttime coughing. Asthma currently affects approximately 8 percent of adults and approximately 10 percent of children in North Carolina. In 2009, 94 North Carolinians died due to asthma. Asthma impacts all North Carolinians; however, African Americans, Native Americans, women, persons 65 years and older, children under the age of 5 years, and persons living in households with an income less than $15,000 are among the groups most affected by asthma.
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