Pioneering study to reduce asthma deaths starts today

• 10th April 2012

Today marks the start of a year long investigation into the cause of asthma deaths with the goal of reducing them in the future.

The National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) is being run by The Royal College of Physicians. Over the course of the next 12 months it will, for the first time, collect information from both medical professionals and families across the UK to establish patterns and risk factors that will help prevent asthma deaths in the future.

'The importance of this National Review cannot be overestimated,' said Neil Churchill, Chief Executive at Asthma UK. 'The UK has a higher death rate from asthma than other similar countries and we have been unable to reduce numbers significantly in recent years. We're already working with healthcare professionals in key asthma hotspots such as the North West of England to encourage people to manage their asthma and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. The Review is a once in a generation opportunity to achieve a step change in reducing deaths and we urge all healthcare professionals to take part.'

Asthma is one of the most common conditions in the UK, affecting around one in five households. Three people die from asthma in the UK every day, but up to 90% of these deaths are thought preventable with the right support and management.

The project, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, will collect information from health professionals and families regarding any suspected asthma death occurring from 1 February 2012 to 31 January 2013, and ask health professionals who cared for the person with asthma to provide information from their records to the NRAD team.

'For 50 years, research has shown that the majority of asthma deaths are potentially preventable,' said Dr Mark L Levy, clinical lead of the National Review of Asthma Deaths. 'This first UK National Review of Asthma Deaths offers clinicians and sufferers an opportunity to learn from these sad events and find ways of improving care for people with asthma in the future'.

The start of NRAD coincides with the launch of Asthma UK's new online tool for people to assess their risk of an asthma attack. Our new test, called the Triple A: Avoid Asthma Attacks Test, also gives people with asthma advice about what to do to reduce their risk of an attack. Take the test here.