Asthma test and national review aim to cut deaths
Wednesday February 1st, 2012
Experts have developed a new test to give people with asthma an idea of their risk of a severe attack, it was announced today.
The online test has been created by the charity Asthma UK with the aim of helping people manage their asthma more effectively and avoid hospital. Asthma UK say that about three-quarters of emergency hospital admissions for asthma are thought to be preventable with better support and management of the condition.
Questions in the "Triple A" test relate to factors which are linked to severe asthma attacks. They cover recent A&E admissions, use of inhalers, and need for steroids.
Results place the person into one of three colour-coded categories - red means high risk down and green means no increased risk. Respondents can then follow links to web pages on how to control symptoms and what to do when having an attack.
"This kind of test for asthma has never been done before but we're confident it will prove an effective motivator to help reduce frightening and often unnecessary hospital admissions," said Dr Samantha Walker of Asthma UK.
She added: "Asthma attacks hospitalise someone every seven minutes and kill over 1,100 people every year, so they are not to be taken lightly. The test is designed to make people sit up, take notice and make changes to the way they manage their asthma if they are shown to be at an increased risk of an asthma attack."
Alongside the launch of the test, a new National Review into Asthma Deaths begins today (February 1).
The Royal College of Physicians of London will collect details on all UK asthma deaths over the next year, to identify ways of preventing future deaths.
Clinical leader Dr Mark Levy said: "For 50 years, research has shown that the majority of asthma deaths are potentially preventable. This first UK National Review of Asthma Deaths offers clinicians and sufferers an opportunity to learn from these sad events and find ways of improving care for people with asthma in the future."
Tags: Allergies & Asthma | UK News
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