Asthma is a respiratory disease that is caused due to blockages and inflammation of air passages. A few of the most common symptoms of asthma are wheezing, coughing, and breathlessness. As per AAFA’s May 2021 Asthma Capitals Report, eight risk factors affect asthma rates. They are air pollution, poverty, lack of health insurance, smoking laws, pollen, access to specialists, asthma quick-relief medicine, and asthma long-term controller medicine use.

Here are the five worst cities in the country for people with asthma and allergies.

1. Allentown, Pennsylvania 
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Allentown is the worst city for anyone suffering from asthma and allergies. There are two main reasons for this. The first one is the city’s lack of smoking laws, and the second one is the high number of allergens in the air. As per the 2019 State of Air report by the American Lung Association, Allentown has an extremely poor quality of air. It has a D ozone pollution score. The city also has a low number of Asthma specialists.

2. Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ranks second on the list of the top 100 Most Challenging Places to live with asthma. 12.4% of the population suffers from asthma and allergies. The city is known to have an extremely high number of asthma-related fatalities. Due to the tremendous poverty rate in the area, the residents don’t get access to appropriate medical assistance. Baltimore also has a high number of asthma-related emergency room visits.

3. Richmond, Virginia 
The third highest asthma-related cases are in the city of Richmond. As per the most recent Asthma State or Territory Data 2019 report, 586,339 residents of Virginia have asthma. That comes up to a staggering 8.8%. The major cause of asthma in Richmond is poverty. Asthma-related deaths are also quite high. The city also witnesses a high number of asthma-related emergencies.

4. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Number four on the list is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2019 10.2% of the residents in Wisconsin were suffering from asthma and allergies .  That means 460,075 people in the state were living with the disease. Poverty is one of the leading causes of asthma in Milwaukee. Due to this, the residents cannot afford good healthcare. Deaths related to asthma are very common in the city. Emergency rooms often see an influx of asthma patients. The city also has a high rate of asthma controller use.

5. New Haven, Connecticut
The fifth and final city with the highest asthma cases is New Haven, Connecticut. The major reason for an increase in asthma is the high use of long-term drugs for managing asthma. Residents also rely heavily on fast-acting medicines for the disease. Apart from this, the air quality of New Haven is also quite low.

As of May 2021, these are the top five worst cities to live with asthma.