Atlanta Named "Asthma Capital" For 2007

(WebMD)  The "A" in Atlanta might as well stand for asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The nonprofit patient organization says that for asthma sufferers, Atlanta is the worst U.S. city to live in.

Seattle ranks best — or, in this case, least bad — on the group's list of the 100 "most challenging places to live with asthma.:

The 10 worst asthma cities, according to the AAFA, are:
1. Atlanta (last year: 4th)
2. Philadelphia (last year: 3rd)
3. Raleigh, N.C.
4. Knoxville, Tenn.
5. Harrisburg, Pa.
6. Grand Rapids, Mich.
7. Milwaukee last year: 5th)
8. Greensboro, N.C. (last year: 7th)
9. Scranton, Pa. (last year: 1st)
10. Little Rock, Ark.

Atlanta earned its "worst" score from the city's high asthma death rate, high pollen levels, and severe air pollution. The AAFA also cites Atlanta's "worse-than-average" public smoking laws, although the city does ban smoking in 80 percent of hotel rooms and in bars and restaurants that allow access to minors (except in private, separately ventilated rooms).

The idea behind the ranking is to warn Americans that across the nation, asthma rates continue to climb.

In the last 20 years, asthma prevalence has doubled, says Derek Johnson, M.D., director of pediatric allergy at Temple University, in a news release.

"People can't just move away from their asthma since every city in America has a variety of risk factors," Johnson says.

Indeed, even Seattle flunks some AAFA tests. The city gets "worse than average" scores in asthma prevalence and only "average" ratings for air quality, uninsured rates, school inhaler-access laws, and number of asthma specialists.

"People should work with an asthma specialist to have a good asthma management plan no matter where they live," Johnson says.

Here's the complete 2007 AAFA list of the 100 most challenging places to live with asthma:
1. Atlanta 2. Philadelphia 3. Raleigh, N.C. 4. Knoxville, Tenn. 5. Harrisburg, Pa. 6. Grand Rapids, Mich. 7. Milwaukee, Wis. 8. Greensboro, N.C. 9. Scranton, Pa. 10. Little Rock, Ark. 11. San Antonio 12. Los Angeles 13. Chicago 14. Charlotte, N.C. 15. Fresno, Calif. 16. Allentown, Pa. 17. Birmingham, Ala. 18. Baltimore 19. Mobile, Ala. 20. Detroit

21. Lancaster, Pa. 22. Johnson City, Tenn. 23. Pittsburgh 24. Oklahoma City 25. Tulsa, Okla. 26. Chattanooga, Tenn. 27. McAllen, Texas 28. St. Louis 29. Hartford, Conn. 30. Memphis, Tenn. 31. Fort Wayne, Ind. 32. Bakersfield, Calif. 33. Salt Lake City 34. Greenville, S.C. 35. Kalamazoo, Mich. 36. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas 37. Boston 38. Houston 39. Modesto, Calif. 40. Richmond, Va.

41. Augusta, Ga. 42. El Paso, Texas 43. Indianapolis 44. Phoenix-Mesa 45. Wichita, Kan. 46. Louisville, Ky. 47. Austin, Texas 48. Columbia, S.C. 49. Las Vegas 50. Lansing, Mich. 51. Stockton, Calif. 52. Washington, D.C. 53. Norfolk, Va. 54. Toledo, Ohio 55. Springfield, Mass. 56. Kansas City, Mo. 57. Albuquerque, N.M. 58. Columbus, Ohio 59. Nashville, Tenn. 60. New York

61. Providence, R.I. 62. Youngstown, Ohio 63. San Diego 64. Sacramento, Calif. 65. Buffalo, N.Y. 66. Cleveland 67. Charleston, S.C. 68. Syracuse, N.Y. 69. Cincinnati 70. Dayton, Ohio 71. Albany, N.Y. 72. Des Moines, Iowa 73. Rochester, N.Y. 74. Lexington, Ky. 75. Portland, Ore. 76. Pensacola, Fla. 77. Jackson, Miss. 78. Denver 79. Canton, Ohio 80. Tampa, Fla.

81. Tucson, Ariz. 82. Omaha, Neb. 83. Madison, Wis. 84. New Orleans 85. Jacksonville, Fla. 86. Orlando, Fla. 87. Baton Rouge, La. 88. Boise City, Idaho 89. Spokane, Wash. 90. Lakeland, Fla. 91. San Francisco 92. Daytona Beach, Fla. 93. Fort Myers, Fla. 94. Sarasota, Fla. 95. Colorado Springs, Colo. 96. Melbourne, Fla. 97. West Palm Beach, Fla. 98. Miami 99. Minneapolis 100. Seattle

SOURCES: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: "2007 Asthma Capitals — The Most Challenging Places to Live with Asthma," AAFA Web site. American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation web site. News release, AAFA.

By Daniel DeNoon
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario