'Lung health crisis'

The charity Asthma and Lung UK (NI) has described the North of Ireland as being in “lung health crisis without a strategy in place” to address the situation.

Derry City and Strabane were two of the areas in the North in 2021 which recorded the highest number of deaths from respiratory illness.

British National Statistics Office (NSO) figures recorded a shocking 64 deaths from respiratory illness here and in Strabane for every 100,000 people.

The combined area was effectively among those with the highest number of deaths from respiratory illness per head of the population. It ranked second for lung deaths in Britain, with the North as a whole registering 122 deaths per 100,000 resulting from respiratory illness.

Asthma and Lung UK (NI) has called on the Department of Health to introduce a Lung Health Strategy as a matter of urgency, to cut deaths and hospitalisations from lung conditions.

It said such a strategy would save lives and help to tackle health inequalities across the North.

The charity described the North’s lung health as “shameful” and urged the Department of Health to develop a Lung Health Strategy to ensure everyone got  an early diagnosis for their lung condition and received support and information once they were diagnosed.

Health leaders and MLAs attended an event hosted by Asthma and Lung UK (NI) in Stormont last Monday, during which they were also urged to tackle the “unacceptably high rates of air pollution and smoking, which lead to lung conditions developing and worsening”.

According to Asthma and Lung UK (NI), respiratory conditions make up one of the top three killers in the North, with 1 in 5 people being diagnosed with a lung condition at some point in their lives.

Lung disease costs over £250 million in the region, making it the fourth most costly disease area after mental health, musculoskeletal conditions and heart disease.

The charity said lung conditions needed to be treated as seriously as other major illnesses including heart disease and cancer.

The latest data shows that in the last five years, over 9,000 people have died from lung conditions such as asthma attacks, COPD exacerbations and pneumonia, in the North.

Asthma and Lung UK (NI) said, despite the tireless work of NHS doctors and nurses across the health trusts, basic levels of care for people with lung conditions is patchy. The reasons for such high rates of emergency admissions and deaths in some areas is likely due to health inequalities.

The charity described the situation as ‘bleak’, with people in the poorest neighbourhoods three and a half times more likely to die of a lung condition than those in the richest areas in the North.

It said: “People have no choice but to live in poor quality housing, where cold, damp and mould can all be triggers for asthma attacks or cause lung conditions to worsen.”

It also stressed that the North of Ireland was the only region in Britain without a set date for a smoke-free NI.

“Poor air quality also plays a vital role, it can hinder children’s lungs development and can trigger life-threatening asthma attacks and COPD exacerbations,” said Asthma and Lung UK (NI).

“Northern Ireland urgently needs a functioning Executive to deliver on the draft Clean Air Strategy. These three key policies could help tackle health disparities, promote better lung health and help reduce emergency hospital admissions in Northern Ireland.”

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma and Lung UK (NI), said: “The Executive must get back to work and deliver a Lung Health Strategy to help address the stark inequality in lung health and ensure the NHS has the resources to support its dedicated staff.

“Last winter was tough, with respiratory conditions adding to the extreme NHS pressures in Northern Ireland. We envisage next winter being far worse, with the cost of living taking its toll on people’s health further. Let’s not repeat history. We can transform lung health and improve the support and care people with lung conditions desperately need.

“Currently we know that people in more deprived areas are more likely to have worse lung health, often with no choice but to live in poorer quality housing, more polluted areas with higher smoking rates. We desperately need to see action to change this.

“We must ensure people living with a lung condition get an early diagnosis, have help quitting smoking, can breathe good quality air and receive the right support and treatment to manage their lung condition well. We're here to help everyone with a lung condition, wherever they are, and we want to urge everyone to take lung conditions seriously.”