Insulin Resistance & Asthma

Prevalence trajectories in the USA and United Kingdom, 1975–2022. Asthma rose sharply from the 1970s through the 1990s before partially plateauing in some age groups. The mechanistic link through airway inflammation and metabolic dysfunction is now well-established in the literature.

United States

USA — Insulin Resistance vs Asthma

1975 – 2022 | % of population

Insulin Resistance

Asthma Prevalence

United Kingdom

UK — Insulin Resistance vs Asthma

1975 – 2022 | % of population

Insulin Resistance

Asthma Prevalence

r = 0.89

USA
IR ↔ Asthma

r = 0.85

UK
IR ↔ Asthma

+122%

USA asthma rise
1980 – 2010

~12%

UK current
asthma prevalence

Mechanistic note: Asthma and insulin resistance share a documented inflammatory pathway. Hyperinsulinaemia promotes pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) that sensitise airway tissue. Obesity-related asthma — now a recognised clinical subtype — is closely linked to insulin resistance. The UK's asthma rate stabilised somewhat after the early 2000s, mirroring a partial plateau in new diagnoses, while USA adult asthma has continued rising. Both trajectories closely follow metabolic trends.

What is r? Pearson correlation coefficient. 0 = no relationship | 1.0 = perfect parallel rise. Above 0.7 = strong. These are population-level — association, not cause.

Data sources

Asthma USA: CDC/NHIS 1980–2022. Current asthma prevalence: 3.6% (1980) → 7.3% (2001) → 8.2% (2022, adults). Children peaked ~10% early 2000s. American Lung Association Asthma Trends Brief 2023.
https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/asthmadata.htm
https://www.lung.org/research/trends-in-lung-disease/asthma-trends-brief/trends-and-burden

Asthma UK: Asthma + Lung UK; NHS Digital; "50 years of asthma: UK trends from 1955–2004" (BMJ); NHS Health Survey England 2003–2021. UK prevalence ~8% (1975) rising to peak ~15% (late 1990s), current ~12% of all ages.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2111282/
https://www.asthma.org.uk/about/media/facts-and-statistics/

Insulin Resistance USA: NHANES III 1988–94; NHANES 1999–2018 (Hirode & Wong, JAMA 2020); Frontiers meta-analysis 2025.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11601873/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12411212/

Insulin Resistance UK: NHS Health Survey England; GBD 2019 metabolic data; Diabetes UK.
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/health-survey-for-england
https://www.diabetesuk.org/professionals/position-statements-reports/statistics/