UK asthma spending tops £1.1 billion
pharmafile | August 30, 2016 | News story | Research and Development | asthma, university of edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh has released a report that claims UK health service spending on asthma has reached £1.1 billion a year.
Researchers utilised data from national health surveys and anonymised administrative, health and social care records to create an accurate insight into the illness and its effects across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK-wide team, led by the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research at The University of Edinburgh, found that there were around 6.4 million GP and nurse consultations for asthma each year.
Researchers also found that, on a daily basis, more than 270 are admitted to hospital and at least three people die as a result of asthma attacks.
Of the £1.1 billion annual cost of treating the illness, at least £666 million is spent on prescription costs, with other expenses including £160m on GP consultations, £143 million on disability claims and £137 million on hospital care.
These figures are expected to be substantial underestimates, researchers say, as they do not account for sufferers for whom asthma is not their primary illness, and identify the UK as having one of the highest burdens of the illness in the world; more than 18 million people are treated for the condition in their lifetime.
“Even with conservative assumptions, we find almost 100,000 people are admitted to hospital and there are at least 1000 deaths from asthma each year in the UK,” commented Aziz Sheikh, director, Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research at The University of Edinburgh. “This is unacceptable for a condition that, for most people, can be managed effectively with the right support from their GP. Greater focus on primary care is needed if we are to cut rates of severe asthma attacks, hospitalisations and deaths.”
Matt Fellows
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