1 in 6 U.S. Adults With Asthma Can't Afford Meds

TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Over 3 million Americans with asthma can't afford to take their medications as prescribed, a new poll estimates.

In total, about 1 in 6 folks with asthma are struggling to cover the costs of inhalers and other medications, according to survey results published Dec. 9 in the journal Thorax.

The findings are troubling because people who skip asthma meds "are at increased risk of asthma-related adverse events, including asthma attacks and ER visits," noted a team of Taiwanese researchers led by Dr. Chung-Hsuen Wu, of Taipei Medical University.