Start of ‘asthma season’ brings NHS warning

Children are up to three times more likely to need medical help as the school year starts, prompting the NHS to urge parents to keep asthma medicine close at hand.

One in ten young people has asthma, with spikes in demand for help from GPs and hospitals in the weeks after school holidays, and an annual peak for children in September. Asthma is the most common long-term medical condition for children in the UK, and being with a new group of classmates can also lead to the spreading of germs, cold and flu bugs.

Recent analysis published by Public Health England has found that GP appointments for children with asthma increase this month, with cases more than doubling and boys more likely to need help, while the total number of emergency hospital admissions for asthma typically jumps between August and September from around 3,500 to more than 6,000.

NHS England is now urging young people and their parents to prioritise taking their medication and preventer inhalers as prescribed, as millions of families prepare for the new school year.

Jacqueline Cornish, National Clinical Director, Children and Young People and Transition to Adulthood, NHS England, said: “Millions of families know that asthma can bring stress and trauma, but simple common sense measures like taking medicines at the right time, giving children a spare puffer to take to school and checking in with a pharmacist for inhaler checks, can help parents manage the annual onset of ‘asthma season’ and go a long way to helping keep your child well and out of hospital.

“The NHS Long Term Plan sets out a package of measures to identify and treat this common but potentially lethal condition, but the health service cannot meet this challenge alone and needs parents, carers and schools to help reduce the likelihood of avoidable asthma attacks this month, while in the long term the whole of society has to crack down on the scourge of air pollution, which contributes to thousands of illnesses and hospital trips every year.”

Andy Whittamore, Clinical Lead at Asthma UK, said: “The ‘Back to School’ effect of asthma can be frightening and potentially life-threatening for children returning to classrooms this week. It’s easy for children to fall out of routines over the summer and forget to take their asthma medicines. This means their asthma is a ticking time bomb and then when they catch a cold or flu at school, they are at risk of having a potentially life-threatening asthma attack.

“Parents can follow simple steps to cut the risk of their child having an asthma attack, such as giving the school a reliever inhaler for their child and a copy of their asthma action plan. They should also ensure that their child takes their preventer inhaler, this helps to build up protection in their airways over time so that if they come into contact with triggers such as colds, they are less likely to have an asthma attack. If a child is using their reliever inhaler (usually blue) three or more times a week, coughing or wheezing at night or feeling out of breath and struggling to keep up with their friends, parents should book them an urgent appointment with their GP.”