Using Your Inhaler Properly

Asthma

Asthma is a common condition, usually defined as a chronic inflammation of the airways of the lungs. It is one of the earliest recognized diseases, described as early as Ancient Egypt. The word itself comes from Ancient Greek; ásthma stands for “panting” which is one of the most obvious symptoms of the illness.

Asthma sufferers experience episodes of airflow obstruction; this usually results in symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing and, possibly most noticably, wheezing – a continuous, whistling sound heard during breathing.

It is not known what causes asthma specifically, and there is no known cure. However, with proper treatment, its symtpoms can be usually kept in check.

Approximately 350 million people wordlwide suffer from asthma. 5.4 million of them live in the UK – and more than 1 million of them are children. Almost 400,000 people died from asthma in 2016 globally – 1,410 of which were British citizens.

Asthma and the UK: Some Stats

According to asthma.org.uk,

1 in 10 people in Northern Ireland (182,000 people) are currently receiving treatment for asthma. Of these, about one fifth are children (36,000) and the rest 146,000 adults;
1 in 10 people are receiving asthma treatment in Wales (314,000 people); a fourth of them (59,000) are children and the rest 256,000 – adults.
1 in 11 people living in England (4,5 million people altogether) are currently receiving asthma treatments; a fifth of them (932,000) are children and the rest 3,6 million are adults;
1 in 14 people living in Scotland (368,000 people) are currently receiving treatment for asthma. Once again, a fifth of them (72,000) are children;