Body mass index and asthma in the military population of the northwestern United States.

Abstract
IN 1990, health care expenditures for illness related to asthma were estimated at $6.2 billion or nearly 1% of all US health care costs.1,2 Asthma affects approximately 5.6% of the general population.3 Based on National Health Interview Survey results from 1980 through 1990, the age-adjusted prevalence rate for self-reported asthma increased 38%, from 3100 to 4290 per 100 000 population (from 6.8 million to 10.3 million persons affected).1 During the 1980s, asthma mortality increased by 6.2% per annum (±1.2%).4