BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to compare asthma-related emergency department (ED) visit rates across North Carolina. Results from this study can inform health planning while helping public health and health care professionals in identifying geographical areas and targeting age groups to reduce the asthma burden in North Carolina.METHODS This was a retrospective data analysis between 2010 and 2014 among North Carolina patients presenting to an ED with a first or second listed diagnosis code related to asthma (ICD-9-CM, 493.xx). Data was obtained from the North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiology Collection Tool. Annual, age-adjusted rates were standardized to the 2000 US standard population using the direct method. Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to compare differences between mean values of asthma-related ED visit rates in regions, urbanicity, and age groups across years.RESULTS Asthma ED rates were consistently higher in the east (85.1 per 10,000) compared with other regions. While most age group ED rates fluctuated over the study period, univariate test results indicated statistical increases in ED asthma visits among the groups aged 5 to 9 years (P < .01), and 65 and over (P < .03).CONCLUSION Public health officials should recognize the disproportionate burden of asthma-related ED visits, particularly among rural and impoverished counties in the eastern portion of North Carolina when prioritizing health concerns across North Carolina.
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