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Alarming rise in asthma deaths in England and Wales

According to a new analysis from Asthma UK, mortality from asthma attacks in 2018 has been the highest in the last decade, with more than 33 per cent rise during the last 10 years.

Analysis of the data from the Office for National Statistics revealed that there were 1400 deaths last year due to an asthma attack, an 8 per cent rise from 2017. The rise was 42 per cent amongst people aged 35-44 years in the last year, with an increasing number of deaths in men. South-East England and London witnessed an increase of 25 per cent and 17 per cent in asthma deaths, respectively, from 2017 to 2018.

Overall, there have been >12,700 deaths from asthma in England and Wales during the last decade. The 'age-standardised' asthma mortality rate has witnessed a 17 per cent increase over the last six years.

Asthma UK believes that 60 per cent of individuals with asthma in England and Wales fail to receive basic care recommended by the national guidelines. This could be a key factor driving the alarming rise in asthma-related deaths.

Kay Boycott, Chief Executive of Asthma UK, said: "The NHS must act now to ensure that everyone with asthma in England and Wales gets basic asthma care which includes a yearly review with their GP or asthma nurse, a check to ensure they are using their inhaler properly and a written asthma action plan."


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