A study published in BMC Public Health analyzed the global prevalence of asthma in adults using data from the World Health Survey (WHS), which involved 178,215 individuals aged 18-45 from 70 countries. The study found that the global prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma was 4.3%, clinical/treated asthma was 4.5%, and wheezing in the last 12 months was 8.6%. These rates varied widely across countries, with Australia reporting the highest rates (21.0% for doctor-diagnosed asthma, 21.5% for clinical/treated asthma, and 27.4% for wheezing). The study also found that nearly 24% of individuals with clinical/treated asthma were current smokers, half reported wheezing, and 20% had never been treated for asthma. The study highlights the significant global burden of asthma, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. It notes that smoking remains a major barrier to reducing asthma burden, and that resource-poor countries are also significantly affected. The study used three definitions of asthma: doctor-diagnosed, clinical/treated, and wheezing. The results show that asthma prevalence varies greatly by region, with the highest rates in resource-rich countries. The study also found that asthma symptoms and treatment vary by region, with the highest prevalence of wheezing in Australia, the Netherlands, the UK, Brazil, and Sweden. The study concludes that asthma remains a major public health concern worldwide, and that the global burden of asthma is significant. The findings suggest that asthma control is not optimal in many countries, and that the high prevalence of smoking continues to be a major barrier to combating the global burden of asthma. The study provides the most current global estimates of asthma burden and highlights the need for further research and targeted interventions to address the issue.A study published in BMC Public Health analyzed the global prevalence of asthma in adults using data from the World Health Survey (WHS), which involved 178,215 individuals aged 18-45 from 70 countries. The study found that the global prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma was 4.3%, clinical/treated asthma was 4.5%, and wheezing in the last 12 months was 8.6%. These rates varied widely across countries, with Australia reporting the highest rates (21.0% for doctor-diagnosed asthma, 21.5% for clinical/treated asthma, and 27.4% for wheezing). The study also found that nearly 24% of individuals with clinical/treated asthma were current smokers, half reported wheezing, and 20% had never been treated for asthma. The study highlights the significant global burden of asthma, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. It notes that smoking remains a major barrier to reducing asthma burden, and that resource-poor countries are also significantly affected. The study used three definitions of asthma: doctor-diagnosed, clinical/treated, and wheezing. The results show that asthma prevalence varies greatly by region, with the highest rates in resource-rich countries. The study also found that asthma symptoms and treatment vary by region, with the highest prevalence of wheezing in Australia, the Netherlands, the UK, Brazil, and Sweden. The study concludes that asthma remains a major public health concern worldwide, and that the global burden of asthma is significant. The findings suggest that asthma control is not optimal in many countries, and that the high prevalence of smoking continues to be a major barrier to combating the global burden of asthma. The study provides the most current global estimates of asthma burden and highlights the need for further research and targeted interventions to address the issue.