Exact Causes are Unknown

The American Asthma Foundation has funded a broad spectrum of new asthma initiatives, all directed at improving treatment, preventing, and finding a cure for this disease. Asthma has been neglected, in part, because it has been difficult to do meaningful research on the disease. Asthma is complex with a large variety of possible causes, including heredity, the environment, and an impaired immune system. In addition, unlike cancer, HIV/AIDS, and many other diseases that are in the spotlight, the death rate is a modest 4,000 annually. Even though most asthmatics do not die as a result of the disease, they may spend part of their daily lives coping with the symptoms.