People with asthma living in deprived areas of Wales are most likely to feel their condition is “out of control” and that it has limited their lives, according to a new report by Asthma UK Cymru.
Three-quarters of Welsh asthma sufferers do not have a personal asthma action plan despite many wishing they did. People with such a plan are four times less likely to require a hospital admission for their asthma, the report has found.
Rates of asthma in Wales are among the highest in the world, with one in 12 adults and one in 10 children living with the condition. The country also has some of the highest hospital admissions for asthma in the world, with more than 4,400 admissions in 2006/7.
Despite advances in asthma medicine and treatment over recent years, nearly a quarter (24%) of the survey respondents feel there is nothing they can do to limit their asthma symptoms, and one in seven feel the condition has a negative impact on how other people see them.
Janet Pardue-Wood, National Director of Asthma UK Cymru, said: “While free prescriptions and smokefree legislation have helped to ease the burden on the lives of people with asthma in Wales, our report clearly shows there is much more work to be done.
“When asthma is not controlled effectively, the effects can be devastating and in some cases fatal, which is why improving healthcare and reducing the hospital admissions of the 260,000 people with asthma in Wales is a key aim for Asthma UK Cymru.”
