Pandemic has left those with asthma feeling more vulnerable

More than half of people with asthma (56%) worry the pandemic has made managing their condition more challenging, with less than half feeling their condition is well managed, a study has suggested.

The research by think-tank Economist Impact and supported by pharmaceutical giant GSK has also argued that poorly-controlled asthma has a much higher economic burden than well-managed asthma.

Even before the pandemic, deaths from asthma in England and Wales were at their highest for a decade, according to the charity Asthma + Lung UK, with more than 1,400 people dying from an asthma attack in 2018, up 8% on 2017.

The Economist Impact study highlighted that adults with frequent asthma exacerbations need more hospital care, and so experience missed workdays and productivity losses at a higher rate (on average 13 days a year).

This compares to those with controlled asthma, for whom these rates are similar to that of healthy people, it said.

The research concluded that more than 20% of respondents had been admitted twice to hospital for an asthma-related reason.

Around 30% of patients claimed they did not adhere to their prescribed treatment because of financial constraints.

Nearly three-quarters (74%) said they wished there was better asthma patient education in their community.

Rob Cook, clinical director, health policy and insights, at Economist Impact, said: “There have been a lot of advances in the treatment of asthma, many of which have dramatically improved the quality of life of patients. Nevertheless, with external factors exacerbating symptoms, it is our duty to keep striving for better care.”