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Asthma/Chronic Obstructive Lower Respiratory Diseases

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD) is a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. It includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and asthma.1 Asthma causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing.2

1. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). CDC. 8/7/17.
2. Asthma. CDC. 4/24/18.
Asthma and COPD data come from multiple sources:

  • Inpatient Hospitalization and Emergency Department Visits: The NJ Hospital Discharge Data Collection System receives detailed information about all inpatient hospitalization and emergency department visits from NJ hospitals.

  • Prevalence: The New Jersey Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS) tracks the prevalence of asthma and COPD annually. The survey also tracks: the percentage of adults with asthma who miss work or limit their activities due to asthma; percentage of adults with asthma who have an asthma management from a health professional; and percentage of adults with asthma who have been advised by a health professional to change things in their home, school or work to improve their asthma.

  • Mortality: Death certificates are a fundamental source of demographic, geographic, and cause-of-death information. Deaths are reported as being due to asthma or CLRD when asthma or CLRD, respectively, was the underlying cause of death.

    • Disease Prevalence (NJBRFS)


    Emergency Department and Inpatient Hospitalizations:

    In the Diagnosis step of the query builder screen, select "Hospital Discharges for Select Health Indicators," and then select "Asthma - Primary Diagnosis," "Asthma - Secondary Diagnosis," "COPD - Primary Diagnosis," or "COPD - Secondary Diagnoses."

    Mortality:

    In the Cause of Death step of the query builder screen, select "Asthma" under "NCHS 113 selected causes of death" or "Chronic lower respiratory diseases (CLRD)" under "NJDOH 24 major causes of death."

    New Jersey Department of Health and Department of Environmental Protection


    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Environmental Protection Agency


    NJ State Health Assessment Data, New Jersey Department of Health, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360, nj.gov/health/shad
    The information provided above is from the Department of Health's NJSHAD web site (https://nj.gov/health/shad). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Thu, 25 April 2024 5:19:40 from Department of Health, New Jersey State Health Assessment Data Web site: https://nj.gov/health/shad ".

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