Ireland has one of the highest death rates from asthma in Western Europe

It has been revealed that Ireland had the worst mortality rates when it comes to asthma in Western Europe.

The Asthma Society of Ireland has warned that the country is “getting asthma management wrong” and that it is causing a serious economic burden.

A new report from the organisation has shown that there were 421,000 specialist and 133,000 Emergency Department visits from asthma-related problems in Ireland in 2017 as well as around 8,000 hospital admissions.

They have also warned that the country does not promote adequate asthma management and that could reduce some of the economic burdens that people face.

This would also help to reduce the number of people hospitalised with asthma-related issues that cost the country around €472 every year.

The Asthma Society of Ireland’s CEO Sarah O’Connor has said that from their research they found that the country’s approach to this illness is not adequate enough.

She said: “Structurally, (the system) revolves solely around the asthma patient in crisis and fails in long-term control.

“We can see that, in comparison to other countries in Western Europe, Ireland has the poorest mortality outcome from asthma and one of the highest asthma hospitalisation rates.

“Uncontrolled asthma costs the individual and the state – research shows that 60 percent of Irish people with asthma do not have it controlled.

“Sadly, at present, six people in Ireland die every six days as a result of their asthma.”

Marcus Butler, medical director of the Asthma Society of Ireland, has said that many of the asthma-related  deaths are “largely preventable” and that many patients in Ireland have the ability to be “getting on with their lives with minimal intrusion from what is largely a very treatable condition.”

He added: “Asthma death rates are falling in many developed countries, but alarmingly, they appear to be rising in Ireland.

“This research contends that a national self-management programme for all asthma patients, irrespective of age, has a high likelihood of substantial cost savings, not to mention the precious safe-guarding of human life and wellbeing that underpins all of our efforts in the asthma community.”

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