‘he Collapsed Like A Flick Of A Light Switch’
One of those was eight-year-old Bailey, twin brother of Mason, from Cambridgeshire, who had mild asthma.
Their mum, Nicki Davis, 49, says Bailey’s condition didn’t stop him from doing the things he loved.
However, one day after school in 2017, everything changed.
“He came into my room and said, ‘Mummy, I can’t breathe properly.’
“I helped him take a couple of puffs of his reliever inhaler but suddenly, like a flick of a light switch, he collapsed,” Nicki says.
She screamed for help while trying to do CPR and called emergency services.
“The paramedics were working on him for over an hour but they couldn’t revive him in hospital,” Nicki says.
“Bailey died in front of me, at just eight years old.
“No-one should have to go through what we have.
“How many more lives have to be cut short before people realise how serious asthma can be?”
Kay Boycott, chief executive of Asthma UK, said it was “completely unacceptable that thousands of people with asthma in England and Wales have died needlessly” from asthma attacks.
Five years ago, a national review found two-thirds of asthma deaths could have been prevented.
And, Ms Boycott added, there were still “tragic cases of lives being cut short”.
Since 2013, the rate of asthma deaths has increased 17%, from 2.15 to 2.5 per 100,000 people.
In 2018, 20 children aged under 14 died from asthma in 2018, up from 17 in 2017 and 13 the year before.
The data was analysed by Asthma UK from ONS figures.
Spirometry Helps Diagnose And Manage Asthma
A spirometry test can confirm whether you have asthma or another disease. And it helps your;healthcare provider decide on your treatment.;A spirometry test can also show how well your;treatment is working. If follow-up spirometry tests show that your asthma is well controlled, your;treatment is working. If it shows that your asthma;is not under control, your doctor may need to change your medicine or give you more medicine.
What Happens During An Asthma Attack
Asthma attacks are caused by sudden bronchoconstriction . Your bronchi are passageways through which air enters the lungs. Your immune system can overact and release chemicals into the bloodstream that induce bronchoconstriction, making it difficult for air to enter the lungs.
Asthma attacks are characterized by three distinct features:
- Bronchoconstriction and spasm of the bronchi, which narrows or closes them off, preventing air from entering the lungs
- Excessive mucus in the lungs, which clogs the bronchi, restricting air flow
- Inflammation;of the air passages, which thickens the bronchi, narrowing the lumen
Recurrent asthma attacks can lead to;progressive scarring. This leaves permanent, irreversible damage that makes it even more difficult for air to flow into the lungs.
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Signs You Actually Have Severe Asthma
Breathing is just one of those things you take for granted until it feels like every inhale or exhale is a struggle. Unfortunately, people with severe asthma have to deal with breathing issues way more often than anyone should, and it can be completely terrifying.
Asthma is a respiratory condition that affects the airways that extend from your nose and mouth to your lungs, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute . When youre exposed to triggers like animal fur, pollen, mold, exercise, and respiratory infections, these airways can narrow, restricting your airflow. This can then make the muscles surrounding your airways constrict, making it even harder to breathe, and cause your airways to produce more mucus than normal, further compounding the problem. All together, this can lead to asthma symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing , and chest tightness or pain, according to the NHLBI.
Like most health conditions, asthma severity runs along a spectrum, Emily Pennington, M.D., a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic, tells SELF. Some people have cases where they experience minor symptoms here and there . Others can have asthma that is basically an ever-present problem and might result in scary asthma attacks, which is when symptoms ramp up in severity and can even become life-threatening.
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How Asthma Attacks Happen
While most parents see asthma as a major cause of missed time from school and work, some might not realize that severe asthma attacks, which require emergency room visits and hospitalizations, can be fatal. Still, deaths due to asthma are rare.
About 10 people die from asthma each day in the United States. In 2017, the year with the most recent national data, 185 children and 3,379 adults in the United States died due to asthma, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Asthma, a chronic disease that affects the lungs, can cause symptoms of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing at night or early in the morning. The exact cause of asthma remains unknown, but genetic, environmental and occupational factors have been linked to developing the condition.
Asthma can begin at any age, but it is estimated that most children experience their first symptom by age 5.
An asthma attack occurs when those symptoms worsen and the bodys airways shrink, making it more difficult to breathe.
Asthma is the inability to get air out due to inflammation and narrowing of your airways for important gas exchange trading carbon dioxide for oxygen that your body needs to oxygenate your body, said Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist at NYU Langone Health in New York and a spokesperson for the Allergy and Asthma Network.
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New Data Shows Asthma Deaths Have Increased By A Third In The Last Decade As Asthma Uk Calls On The Nhs To Urgently Tackle Issues With Basic Asthma Care
Friday 9 August 2019
Deaths from asthma attacks are the highest they have been in the last decade and have increased by more than 33% over the last ten years1, according to Asthma UKs analysis of data from The Office for National Statistics .;
Asthma UK is now is calling on the NHS to take urgent action including addressing the lack of basic asthma care.
More than 1,400 people died from an asthma attack last year, an 8% increase2 compared to 2017.
;The findings reveal an increase in men dying from asthma attacks3, and there has been a 42% increase in deaths amongst people aged 35 44 in the last year4.
;There has been a 25% increase in asthma deaths in the South-East, and London has seen a 17% increase from 2017 to 20185.
;Asthma UK says a lack of basic asthma care may have contributed to the rise as 60% of people with asthma in England and Wales6 – an estimated 2.9 million people7 – are not receiving basic care as recommended by national guidelines.8
The National Review of Asthma Deaths , commissioned by the NHS and Department of Health five years ago, found that two-thirds of asthma deaths could have been prevented by better basic care9.Of the 19 recommendations made by NRAD, only one has been partially implemented10.
;Asthma UKs analysis also revealed that:
- ;More than 12,700 people have died from asthma in England and Walesin the last decade11
- There has been a 17% increase in the age-standardised asthma death rate over the last six years12.
;-;;;;;;;ENDS –
Notes to editors:
Why Do More Boys Outgrow Asthma Than Girls
Although a recent study found that boys were more likely than girls to outgrow asthma, Rachelefsky says there isnât enough research to make any conclusions about gender and the progression of asthma.
Panettieri says more girls develop asthma after the onset of puberty; boys develop it before.
âItâs not that boys outgrow it, but now there are more women with it,â he says.
Some studies have suggested that hormonal differences may factor in to a higher prevalence of adult asthma in women.
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What Should I Do If I Have A Severe Asthma Attack
A severe asthma attack needs immediate medical care. The first step is your rescue inhaler. A rescue inhaler uses fast-acting medicines to open up your airways. Its different than your normal maintenance inhaler, which you use every day. You should only use the rescue inhaler in an emergency.
If your rescue inhaler doesnt help or you dont have it with you, go to the emergency department if you have:
- Anxiety or panic.
- Bluish fingernails, bluish lips or gray or whitish lips or gums .
- Chest pain or pressure.
If My Child No Longer Has Asthma Symptoms Could It Be That They Were Misdiagnosed With The Disease
Perhaps. Rachelefsky says a lot of children diagnosed with asthma donât have it and many asthmatics go undiagnosed.
âSpirometry is standard, but many physicians in primary care practices donât have a spirometer. They diagnose sinusitis as asthma and mistake asthma for esophageal reflux,â he says.
But for children under the age of 2, it is difficult to do spirometry to test for asthma. When a child is that young, providing a diagnosis âis an imperfect science,â says Reynolds J. Panettieri Jr., a pulmonologist with the University of Pennsylvania.
âIf you have true asthma, you donât outgrow it,â so young children who are wheezing from a viral infection that hangs around for a long time may not have asthma but âtwitchyâ or hypersensitive airways that are a holdover from the virus, he says.
Johnson says, even if a child is too young for standard testing, âItâs better to err on the side of caution and treat kids whether they have asthma or not. The benefits are great,â he says.
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Systems For Providing Care
The NRAD panels concluded that overall care was poor in over 80% of those who died from asthma.
In the UK, and probably in other countries, more and more patient care is being devolved into the primary care sector, without the necessary resources and training. Historically, care for asthma has moved from secondary to primary care. In addition, the UK political control of the NHS is such that systems for care change fairly frequently, without true long-term planning; and chronic care has deteriorated. In the 1990s most general practices employed trained asthma nurses to provide chronic care . However this has changed, NRAD reported that 46% of general practice nurses doing asthma reviews had no training in this field, and none as far as we were aware had any paediatric training.
Suggested changes
It may be necessary to revert back to a system where specialists have more involvement in the care of people with asthma, particularly after attacks. This needs to be coupled with ongoing asthma training for generalists.
Asthma Attack Symptoms & First Aid
Asthma is a respiratory condition that affects your lungs. It causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. Asthma can be controlled by taking medicine and avoiding the triggers. However, when symptoms get worse, it is called an asthma attack. Asthma affects people of all ages and often starts during childhood.
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Essential Facts Stats And Quotes Relating To Asthma
This page contains facts, stats and quotes that LPC members may find useful when writing business cases or developing resources to support the commissioning of an asthma management service or inhaler technique service.
This page;is work in progress and will continue;to be updated with new facts, stats and quotes.
Facts, stats and quotes on other topics;can be accessed on the;Essential facts, stats and quotes;page.
Asthma UK, Asthma facts and statistics
- 5.4 million people in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma: 1.1 million children and 4.3 million adults .
- Asthma prevalence is thought to have plateaued since the late 1990s, although the UK still has some of the highest rates in Europe and on average 3 people a day die from asthma.
- In 2014 1,216 people died from asthma.
- The NHS spends around 1 billion a year treating and caring for people with asthma.
- One in 11 children has asthma and it is the most common long-term medical condition.
- On average there are three children with asthma in every classroom in the UK.
- The UK has among the highest prevalence rates of asthma symptoms in children worldwide.
- Asthma attacks hospitalise someone every 8 minutes; 185 people are admitted to hospital because of asthma attacks every day in the UK .
Asthma UK, Patient safety failures in asthma care: the scale of unsafe prescribing in the UK
I Had No Idea Asthma Could Be Fatal
Thelma Doswell describes her husband’s sudden death from the disease and urges sufferers to use their inhalers
As a year-long national review into asthma is launched, Thelma Doswell describes her husband’s sudden death from the disease and urges sufferers to use their inhalers
At 7.50am, Gary Doswell left for work in his car as usual, texting his wife Thelma on the way.
What do you fancy doing tonight? he tapped.
She phoned him back and the couple chatted about their plans for that evening. They ended their conversation as they always did, saying: Love you.
Minutes later, on April 7 2011, Gary, from Hythe, Southampton, was dead.
Hed driven into the side of a lorry after suffering a fatal asthma attack. He was 35.
For Thelma and their family-of-eight, his death came as a bolt from the blue. Shocking statistics show that one person dies from asthma every eight hours.
But a new national review, that will investigate the cause of asthma deaths, is hoping to reduce that number to two or three every year so that cases like Garys will become few and far between.
For the first time, all asthma deaths in the UK are being scrutinised for 12 months until January 31, 2013.
Funded by the Department of Health and led by the Royal College of Physicians, the National Review of Asthma Deaths aims to understand why people die from asthma and how deaths can be prevented.
Too many people die of asthma in the UK and we have some lessons to learn.
Asthma facts
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The Test Can Save Money
A spirometry test generally costs less than $100. Not having the test can cost a lot more money. If the test shows that you do not have asthma, this can save you hundreds of dollars a month for asthma medicines. If you do not have the test and you have asthma, an emergency room visit for an asthma attack can cost thousands of dollars.
Signs Of Uncontrolled Asthma
Most deaths from asthma come from uncontrolled asthma. Make sure your asthma is always well controlled by having your child on the correct preventative medications. Seeing an asthma specialist such as pulmonologist or allergist can also help, Parikh said.
Signs of uncontrolled asthma can sneak up on you, so be sure to know the symptoms of it: waking up at night, using your quick relief inhaler more than twice a week, needing oral or injected steroids one to two times per year, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath all of these are signs your asthma is not controlled, she said.
There are two types of medicine: quick relief and long-term control.
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Acute Asthma Attack Symptoms
An acute asthma attack is a medical emergency youll must seek immediate medical help and go to hospital.
Acute asthma attack symptoms to be aware of include:
- Rapid breathing that doesnt ease with use of a reliever inhaler
- Extreme shortness of breath being unable to inhale or exhale fully
- An inability to speak in full sentences
- Confusion or agitation
- Developing a blue tint on the face, lips or fingernails.
If you dont seek treatment for an acute asthma attack, your life could be in danger. Find out more about acute asthma by reading our guide to severe asthma.
Medical Certification Of Cause Of Death In The Uk
The UK system utilises a medical certification of cause of death with two parts. Part I is for reporting disease related to the chain of events which directly leads to death . Part II should only include diseases that contributed to the death but did not directly cause it . The World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases -10 codes are then allocated, by national statistics departments, according to an algorithm, which in some cases where asthma is entered in part II of the MCCD results in asthma being classified as the underlying cause of death .
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Asthma Facts And Figures
Asthma causes swelling of the airways. This results in narrowing of the airways that carry air from the nose and mouth to the lungs. Allergens or irritating things entering the lungs trigger asthma symptoms. Symptoms include trouble breathing, wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest. Asthma can be deadly.
- There is no cure for asthma, but it can be managed with proper prevention of asthma attacks and treatment.
- More Americans than ever before have asthma. It is one of this countrys most common and costly diseases.
Trends Of Asthma Mortality
Recorded asthma mortality rates vary very widely across countries . The estimates of asthma deaths are affected by several factors. One of these factors is precisely the correct estimation of mortality from asthma. As the national mortality statistics are derived from death certificates, inaccurate coding due to lack of knowledge of the clinical history may lead to imprecise estimation of mortality rates from asthma . Then it should be considered that international mortality statistics for asthma are limited to those countries reporting a full set of causes of death.
According to health statistics, asthma mortality has significantly decreased worldwide over past decades. The American Lung Association reported information, available from national and state-based surveys on the mortality due to asthma 19992009 . After a long period of steady increase, evidence suggests that asthma mortality and health care utilization rates continue to plateau and/or decrease. The number of deaths due to asthma in 2009 was approximately 27;% lower than the number of deaths seen in 1999 . The number and rate of hospital discharges have both decreased 24;% between 2003 and 2010 . In Japan over 7000 patients died every year in the 1970s, while 1874 patients died of an asthma attack in 2012 . Asthma-related mortality in Europe has significantly decreased, from 6287 deaths in 1985 to 1164 in 2012 .
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