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Fighting for breath
Severe asthma report

Fighting for breath - 2010 severe asthma reportAsthma UK has launched a new report which reveals the shocking and widespread discrimination faced by people with severe asthma.

The report called ‘Fighting for Breath’ was produced with the Severe Asthma National Network (SANN) on a project exploring the needs of people with severe asthma. 

Download the report (417 kb) [pdf]

Download the report in Welsh (456 kb) [pdf]

We spoke directly to people with severe asthma, by working with five groups of specialist healthcare professionals and researchers to set up discussions around the UK. We’ve been to hospitals in London, Leicester, Belfast and Glasgow to speak to adults and young people with severe asthma as well as to parents of children with severe asthma.

There are a quarter of a million people in the UK who suffer with severe asthma. Many have difficulty breathing almost all of the time, suffer frequent, serious asthma attacks, have endless trips to hospital for emergency treatment and live with the constant fear that their asthma will one day kill them.

Living with severe asthma - Beverley's story

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From the report, Asthma UK is planning to develop and produce materials to support people with severe asthma.

The charity and the Severe Asthma National Network (SANN) is also calling on healthcare professionals, commissioners, social workers, teachers, employers, regulators and policymakers to work together to:

  • effectively manage the impact of severe asthma medicines
  • improve access to benefits for people with severe asthma
  • improve support for carers of people with severe asthma
  • support children and young people with severe asthma in education
  • give everyone with severe asthma access to specialist care
  • give everyone with severe asthma the right emergency treatment
  • develop and implement national standards for asthma care
  • treat people fairly if they are disabled by severe asthma.

Find out more

If you have any questions about the severe asthma project please contact our Supporter and Information Team  - info@asthma.org.uk or 0800 121 62 55.

This project has been supported by a financial grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd.

Download the report