Recently I was invited to speak on BBC West Midlands radio about a recent report detailing the number of deaths caused by asthma in the UK. Asthma UK said the death rate between 2011-15 was also almost 50 per cent higher here than the average on the continent. Only Serbia, Turkey, Estonia, Spain and Cyprus had worse rates.
Around 1,400 people died from an asthma attack in the UK in 2015, the most recent figures
It makes for pretty shocking reading… read, UK asthma death rates among the worst in Europe to find out more.
Asthma and the allergy link
It’s always baffled me why there is such a huge disconnect between asthma funding and allergy funding. The two are so intricately linked that it just seems crazy not to share resources, not least to prevent so many people suffering needlessly and being prescribed endless and increasing doses of steroids for what could be an allergy in the first place.
Knowing all your allergy triggers won’t mean a person won’t have asthma but it could mean they can manage their health far better if they can avoid triggers and allergens.
What we don’t know is, how many asthma deaths are linked to allergies, and how many people with asthma have allergy triggers. Or is the case that asthma is totally unrelated? I don’t think so..
What causes asthma?
What causes asthma? It’s never a simple answer but I wonder how many of these asthma deaths could have been avoided had those patients been tested for allergies; thus understanding better what those triggers might be.
About four years ago I finally had a soya allergy diagnosed after worsening asthma. I didn’t think for a moment that I could be allergic to one of the very plant milks suggested in replacement of the cow’s milk that I was already allergic to, but cutting out soya led to a dramatic reduction in my asthma symptoms.
It’s not rocket science.
Many of my allergies cause asthma as a direct symptom including; hayfever, dust allergy, latex, soya, milk and nuts.
Asthma gets lots of funding and I am regularly seen by an asthma nurse to keep my asthma under control but this is not the case for allergy treatment. I am very lucky to see a dermatologist who also treats me for my allergies but not everyone is so lucky, and getting to even have allergy testing can be impossible in certain areas of the country.
Why are we so behind our neighbours in Europe?
Will this report to lead to changes? Or will we still be talking about this in ten years time?
I suspect the latter… I find myself blogging over and over again about the same things year in year out because nothing does seem to change much. Apologies for the pessimistic comment there but it’s true.
And this is why I blog, because by doing this I can maybe help a few people not to feel so alone in the struggle for answers and normal life. Strive not to be normal people!
Do you have asthma? Do you also have allergies? Do you wonder why the two treating bodies are not linked?
Hi , so very true. The same can be said for eczema and allergy.. I find even if patients are not allergic (IgE ) but hypersensitivity (non IgE) better outcomes and symptom relief can be achieved if all the triggers are found. I also advocate strengthening the gut and supporting the microbiotic also improves outcomes and quality of life .
Thank you so much for you response. It seems so few share this view. But for me, if I eat the wrong stuff, I will be wheezing constantly. No amount of steroids is going to help in the long run, and actually will probably make me worse. Do you work in allergies? for patients with allergies and asthma/eczema?
This is so true, i suffer from hayfever and also asthma, angio edema which is horrible, plus panic attacks! they all seem to be related, even the panic attacks, when it seems like it brings on an asthma attack, It is interesting about the soya, luckily I cant stand the stuff! but i too am allergic to cows milk so just have a little in my coffee but stay away from it apart from that
Hi Barbara, keep having a little bit of cows milk if you can in your coffee. I cut it out completely and am now anaphylactic to it. Maybe that would have happened anyway, but the doctors think that perhaps cutting it out so well has made my body now super sensitive to even a tiny trace. And yes it’s all linked! Sad that none of our health care is linked. And lets not even get stared on the mental health issues affecting people with long term health conditions. Yet another separate system of health care. Hope you don’t have any panic attacks! They’re horrible.
Haydn’s Wish is a charity set up for exactly this issue, that the interplay between allergies and asthma is often not considered. From the website:
Haydn was a funny, loving, compassionate, exuberant 9 year old who died from an anaphylactic reaction to peanut in his breakfast cereal.
Haydn had never been tested for allergies because, although his family were well-informed about both preventing and coping with asthma attacks, the link between asthma and allergy had not been considered by the medical team.
He had suffered from asthma for much of his life and had been hospitalised several times by severe asthma attacks, yet that didn’t stop him from leading life to the full. He loved to play football and climb trees and when he wasn’t dashing about, he always had his head in a book.
The Trust, therefore, is dedicated to raising awareness of the link between asthma and allergies, in addition to raising funds to support this research in the hope that other families can be spared the devastation that hit ours.
I don’t know if this is available in Great Britain but in the US you can make a very effective air purifier for under $40 us.
20” Box Fan $20 (Walmart) + 20” Merv 8 Furnace Filter $7 (Walmart) + Box Fan Filter Grip $12 (Amazon.com) = $39 Total
I can send photos if you like or use this link for more info and photos.
https://www.amazon.com/new-Box-Fan-Filter-Grip/dp/B07F72D436/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532349142&sr=8-1&keywords=box+fan+filter+grip