Data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey reveals that more than 2 million Canadians report being diagnosed with asthma. Canadians with asthma have much higher health service utilization that those without. In fact, nearly forty percent of Canadians with asthma report visiting a doctor five or more times during the past year and asthma patients are much more likely to have had least one overnight stay in a hospital or nursing home during the past year.

Effectively managing asthma through lifestyle and environmental changes or through appropriate drug therapies can improve the quality of life of patients and reduce the economic burden of asthma in Canada.