Two out of three asthma deaths are preventable - NI health charity's stark warning

With approximately one in 10 people in Northern Ireland having asthma, including 36,000 children, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the condition, how dangerous it can be and the importance of the correct use of inhalers.

Fidelma Carter, head of Public Health at NICHS said: “The fact two out of three asthma deaths are preventable is unacceptable. Through our asthma awareness campaign, we want to help prevent future asthma deaths, make people think twice about asthma, as well as take their inhalers properly. This means taking their preventer inhaler daily and ensuring they carry their reliever inhaler with them at all times.”

She added: “Alarmingly, a 2022 article by King’s College London stated up to 80% of asthma patients use their asthma inhalers incorrectly. Furthermore, only 15% of health care professionals are educated on correct inhaler use which means they are not passing on the right techniques to patients. This situation needs to change as the blunt fact is asthma can be fatal and it is vital everyone with asthma is empowered and educated with the knowledge and skills on how to use inhalers correctly to help prevent unnecessary attacks and deaths.”

There are several other issues the charity’s campaign is hoping to tackle.

Fidelma said: “We know some people are not taking their brown preventer inhaler everyday which is crucial as this builds up protection in the airways over time to help prevent asthma attacks. We also know people are not carrying their blue reliever inhaler with them which means if they have an attack they are without the lifeline they need. Others think they do not have asthma anymore and mistakenly stop their treatment without consulting their healthcare professional. These are all behaviours which we want to try and change through our asthma awareness campaign.”

A 2019 analysis of 19 high-income countries found that death rates for asthma in 10 to 24-year-olds, among all 14 European nations included, was highest in the UK.

“This is a shocking statistic and is why we are targeting children, teens, young adults and parents as part of this campaign-there is no room for complacency with this potentially deadly condition.”

She added: “Parents and carers are also hugely responsible for helping their child manage their asthma correctly as set out in their Personal Asthma Action Plan. We cannot stress enough how important it is for parents to play an active role in ensuring their child is taking their inhalers regularly and properly. They should check their child’s inhaler use technique and if they have any doubts about whether this is correct they should make an appointment with their GP, asthma nurse or a pharmacist. The NICHS website also has lots of resources and information about asthma and you can find out more at www.nichs.org.uk/asthmacankill.”