4.3 million adults in the UK are currently being treated for asthma, making it one of the most common medical conditions in the UK. 1,200 people die from asthma each year, and around three quarters of these deaths occur in people over the age of 65.
Although many effective treatments for asthma are now available, sadly the majority of people with asthma in the UK still experience symptoms that affect their daily life.
There is a desperate need for new asthma treatments, especially for people who still experience severe symptoms despite taking high levels of asthma treatments.
Scientific research is crucial for the creation of new treatments and Asthma UK has an enviable track record of funding studies that have significantly increased our understanding of asthma. For example, Professor Sebastian Johnston is a world-leader in viruses and asthma, and is taking us ever closer to new treatments for virally-triggered asthma attacks.
We are also committed to exploring non-drug treatments for asthma, such as breathing exercises, and to research that considers the emotional and practical problems that people with asthma face.
Asthma UK-funded scientists Dr Mike Thomas, Dr Liam Heaney and Dr Jennifer Cleland are experts in these areas. They have conducted vital work to test out breathing exercises and improve the diagnosis and treatment of depression.
Many adults with asthma have had the condition all their life. But a significant number develop the condition as adults, and this is often due to exposures in the work place. Dr Debbie Jarvis’s work to understand the occupations that cause asthma is providing new insight into this problem, and how it might be avoided.
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