Asthma is a chronic health problem for many people and one Pennsylvania city has been named the asthma capital of the U.S.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reported Allentown is No. 1 on the list of the "most challenging places to live with asthma," beating out 99 other metropolitan areas.
The foundation is dedicated to raising awareness about the nationwide impacts of asthma and helping reduce the burden of the disease.
The AAFA states there are more than 27 million people people living with asthma in the U.S., that is about 1 in every 12 people.
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September is a peak month for asthma and doctors are seeing more patients being treated for asthma due to pollen, children starting school and cold and flu season, according to the AAFA report.
The report also notes there are many risk factors that contribute to asthma such as poverty, exposure to pollutants and access to health care.
The rankings are based on how common asthma is in an area, emergency department visits due to asthma and asthma-related fatalities.
Other Pennslyvania cities made the top 100 list including Philadelphia at No. 8, Harrisburg at No. 16, Pittsburg at No. 43 and Scranton at No. 74.
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