- Asthma puts 100,000 Britons in NHS hospitals each year
- Condition, often dismissed as an inconvenience, kills 1,000 people yearly
- Study led by Edinburgh University used 27 different sources of NHS data
- An estimated £666million is spent annually on prescription costs
Fiona Macrae for the Daily Mail
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The shocking toll of asthma on the nation’s health and finances has been laid bare, triggering calls for an urgent overhaul of treatment.
Asthma causes more than four million sick days, puts 100,000 Britons in hospital and eats up more than £1billion of the NHS’s budget each year, the most detailed study of its kind found.
The condition, which is often dismissed as a minor inconvenience, also kills 1,000 people a year.
The shocking toll of asthma on the nation’s health and finances has been laid bare, triggering calls for an urgent overhaul of treatment (File photo)
Experts said given that most people should be able to manage the condition with the right support, a sea change in care is needed.
The study, led by Edinburgh University researchers, used 27 different sources of NHS and government data to build a picture of the toll that asthma is taking on the nation.
This includes some 6.4million GP and nurse consultations each year, 113,000 ambulance trips, 1,800 stays in intensive care and almost 3million school days spent sick.
An estimated £666million is spent annually on prescription costs, with £160million on GP consultations and £137million on hospital care. Another £143million goes on disability claims – taking the bill to £1.1billion, journal BMC Medicine reports.
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As a result, the UK has one of the highest burdens of asthma in the world, with more than 18million people treated for the condition at some stage in their life.
Researcher Professor Aziz Sheikh warned: ‘Even with conservative assumptions, we find almost 100,000 people are admitted to hospital and there are at least 1,000 deaths from asthma each year in the UK. This is unacceptable for a condition that, for most people, can be managed effectively with the right support from their GP.
‘Greater focus on primary care is needed if we are to cut rates of severe asthma attacks, hospitalisations and deaths.’
The professor also called for the development of ‘innovative strategies for the prevention and early detection of asthma attacks’ and for ambitious national targets for reducing asthma attacks. The study does not look at why the toll is so high.
Asthma causes more than four million sick days, puts 100,000 Britons in hospital and eats up more than £1billion of the NHS’s budget each year, the most detailed study of its kind found (File photo)
But a landmark report by the Royal College of Physicians two years ago found that two-thirds of asthma deaths could be avoided by better care.
GPs and patients were accused of complacency, with patients often not taking their medicine and many of those who died not having sought help. This could be because they underestimated the threat the condition posed – or they were never told how to recognise the danger signs.
When patients did seek help, warning signs were not acted on, with many of the deaths being people who had recently been to AE or treated in hospital.
There is also concern about whether drugs are being prescribed appropriately, with doctors accused of dishing out inhalers like ‘fashion accessories’.
Kay Boycott, chief executive of Asthma UK, said: ‘Despite the fact we’re spending over a billion pounds a year on asthma, many people are still not receiving care that meets even the most basic clinical standards. It’s clear this has to change.
‘We strongly believe new technologies such as smart inhalers are the likely game-changer that could reduce asthma attacks and ease the burden on the NHS.’
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