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JAMA. 2002;288:1466-1467.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

MMWR. 2002;51:781-784

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Asthma is a chronic condition that affects approximately 14 million persons in the United States and is characterized by airway inflammation, reversible airway obstruction, and airway hyperresponsiveness to a variety of triggers.¹ Both environmental and psychological factors can trigger asthma exacerbations,^2-4 and a seasonal increase in asthma morbidity occurs in the fall.⁵ This report summarizes the results of a telephone survey conducted among Manhattan residents 5-9 weeks following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in lower Manhattan in New York City. The findings indicate that among the 13% of adult respondents with asthma, 27% reported experiencing more severe asthma symptoms after September 11. Although a normal seasonal increase in asthma severity was expected, increased severity was reported more commonly among asthmatics reporting psychological distress associated with the attacks and/or difficulty breathing because of smoke and debris during the attacks. . . . [Full Text of this Article]