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Asthma and allergies now affect more people in the UK that ever before. For some these conditions can be potentially life threatening.
The links opposite will provide information about asthma and some of the most common allergies, including their triggers and helpful tips detailing how to avoid them.
With dedicated departments for specific allergies our research teams are constantly striving to find better treatments for these diseases. For news about their latest research please check out the Medical Research page on this site.
AAIR is as a research charity, unfortunately we cannot provide individual advice but we are always happy to hear from you with your
comments.
Allergy statistics
- It is estimated 30% the UK population will suffer from one or more allergy at sometime in their lives. Each year these numbers are increasing with as many as half of those affected being children.
- Potential fatal peanut allergies now affect one in 70 children.
- The UK population has the highest prevalence of allergies in Europe and ranks among the highest in the world.
- Hospital admissions as a consequence of serious anaphylaxis has increased seven-fold in the last decade – admission for food allergies has increased five fold.
- There are just 8 full-time NHS child allergy specials working in the NHS. This compares to 90 in Sweden and 500 in Germany.
- There are less than 30 consultant allergy doctors in the UK
Asthma statistics
- On average someone in the UK dies of asthma every 6 hours
(1,600 per year).
- The UK has now overtaken New Zealand to become the country with the highest prevalence of asthma in the developed world.
- The south coast has the highest prevelance of asthma in the UK. It is thought that this could be partly linked to the warmer weather which encourages some asthma triggers.
- 28,000 of Southampton’s population alone receive regular therapy for asthma.
- Asthma costs the NHS an average of £889 million per year. The total cost of asthma to society is approximately £2,000 million per year.
- Over the last 20 years asthma has become the commonest chronic disease of childhood in Western countries and its prevalence has also increased markedly in adults.
- Asthma treatments now account for 12% of NHS prescriptions.
- Each UK school classroom has, on average, three children who are asthma sufferers.
- One person is admitted to hospital every 8 minutes in England because of their asthma. That's on average 185 people per day and one in six people require further emergency care again within two weeks, yet 75% of admissions for asthma are avoidable and could save the NHS in England an estimated £43.7 million a year.
- 5.2 million people in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma: 1.1 million children (1 in 10) and 4.1 million adults (1 in 12).
- If one parent has asthma, the chance of their child developing asthma is approximately double that of children whose parents don't have asthma. Every 19 minutes a child is admitted to hospital in England, Scotland or Wales because of their asthma.
- Smoking during pregnancy brings a 35% increased risk of your baby being wheezy or having breathing difficulties.
- Children whose parents smoke are 1.5 times more likely to develop asthma. Nearly a third of all long-term childhood illnesses are due to doctor-diagnosed asthma.
- Over 12.7 million working days are lost to asthma each year.
Hayfever
- One in five people in Britain suffer from Hayfever
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