Asthma causes Britain to lose 12.7 million working days every year, but, as benhealth discovered, being diagnosed with the condition doesn’t have to hold you back.
In the UK, more than five million people are affected by asthma. Their ranks include a host of people you would never suspect suffered from shortness of breath.
Take Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington, for instance. The swimmer’s extraordinary achievements give no sign that she suffers from a condition that, for many sufferers, can prevent them from getting on with day-to-day tasks.
Yet she, along with other sporting heroes such as David Beckham and Paula Radcliffe are among the many proving that asthma should not stop people achieving whatever they want.
This is why Asthma UK believes it is so important to raise awareness of the condition among people from all walks of life to make sure sufferers have access to the support and treatment they need.
Angela Jones has been an asthma nurse specialist for Asthma UK for two and a half years. She explains: “Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the lungs, often in response to triggers. Sometimes they’re allergic reactions, sometimes they are non-allergic. These stimulate an inflammatory process in the lungs, often with the production of mucus and bronchial spasms.”
Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest, and shortness of breath. There may also be the production of mucus.
Asthma can develop at any age. No case is the same as the next, with a variety of causes that can lead to an attack. Angela says, “Viruses are a real key trigger, especially in winter.
“In summertime, hay fever and allergy to pollen can cause a problem, as can being in contact with cats or dogs or house dust mites.
“Children living in an environment where their parents smoke are also more likely to develop asthma symptoms.”
Asthma UK believes it is important that sufferers are able to access help, wherever they are. Angela says, “There’s a huge need for school awareness, so children are as safe there as they are at home.”
And with 12.7 million working days lost every year to asthma, the charity also believes employers of all sizes and sectors need to be aware of the condition. Angela says, “Their asthma could be triggered by something in the workplace which they could do something about, for example, air conditioning.”
In 2006-2007, there were more than 80,000 emergency hospital admissions due to asthma. Yet it is estimated that 75 per cent of admissions are preventable.
People who do not have a written plan of action to control and access the right treatment for their asthma are four times more likely to have an asthma attack requiring emergency hospital treatment.
This is why Asthma UK is urging everyone with asthma has a personal action plan, completed by a doctor or nurse, to help them control symptoms and get the right treatment.
This article first appeared in issue 11 of benhealth, the magazine for Benenden Healthcare members.
