The economic value of home asthma interventions.

r n d p c t i s P v e Asthma is a common and costly chronic illness affecting people of every economic level, demographic category, and age group. People with asthma can be disabled by their illness, especially during acute episodes, and unable to performbasic life tasks such as attend school or work. Properlymanaged, however, ndividuals with asthma can lead a normal life, including articipating in sports and other activities, and high-cost vents, such as visits to the emergency department or npatient hospital care can be avoided. The review preented in this supplement to the American Journal of reventive Medicine by Nurmagambetov et al. shows that comprehensive home environmental interventions have the potential to be cost-effective interventions for children with asthma. This is particularly true if the programs reduce the use of healthcare resources devoted to treating acute asthma exacerbations brought on by triggers in the home environments. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program suggests that optimal management of asthma depends on three crucial elements: