Worst cities to live in with asthma

Singulair users might need to reconsider their current cities of residence. As May 6 marks World Asthma Day, a recent report published by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has given new meaning to cities that can take your breath away.

The organization listed the t, ranking each city individually by how challenging their current conditions are for people living with the respirtory disorder. This marks the 11th year in a row that the AAFA has conducted the study, which utilizes analyzing 13 different metropolitan environmental factors to rate the severity of the city, including its atmospheric conditions, medical care rates and hospital visits for asthma induced episodes as well as air pollution levels.

There are nearly currently living in the U.S. with asthma, and the purpose of the study was to help those with breathing difficulties to reconsider their current living environments, as well as help those without asthma recognize the severity of pollution in their hometowns. Richmond, Virginia, currently holds the top position as the worst conditioned city for asthma sufferers, a ranking that it has held now for its third consecutive year. The key factors that contributed to their No. 1 grading included high-levels of year round pollen, no city smoking bans and a big number of hospital visits for asthma care. The rest of the top 10 included:

• Memphis, Tennessee
• McAllen, Texas
• Oklahoma City
• Philadelphia
• Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Fresno, California
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Chicago
• Detroit

Making a change
The publishers of the study expressed their intentions were not for the listed cities' citizens to vacate their homes and move away, but to instead take their ranking as an indication that environmental change needs to happen. Since every city all around the world has risk factors for asthma, change can only be provided to those who coordinate together with city management planners to ensure that concerns for their environment are taken seriously and action is put forth to improve conditions for everyone, and not just those with asthma.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have listed that there are more than to emergency care centers every year for asthma related incidents. Consulting with your doctor to see if a prescription to Singulair is just one of the ways you can help prevent symptoms from impacting your breathing.