Condition 'uncontrolled' for almost half of Irish people with asthma
Almost half of Irish people with asthma could be putting their lives at risk because their asthma is "uncontrolled", according to a European survey.
The Recognise Asthma and Link to Symptoms and Experience (Realise) survey found that although 92% of Irish people are confident about managing their asthma, 48% may not managing their condition effectively.
One in 10 Irish asthmatics say they never think about their condition, while 22% of people with asthma in Ireland are still smoking.
Monica Fletcher of the European Lung Foundation said that Irish people are four times more likely to rely on their "reliever inhaler" than their European counterparts.
“People with asthma have normalised their asthma and are not thinking about their condition as part of their daily health or something they should consider seriously,” she said.
“These results clearly show that there is a real disconnect in how people with asthma in Ireland and across the EU view management of their asthma.
“For example, Irish respondents are the second highest in the EU at a 3.8 mean (nearly 4 times) to rely on their reliever inhaler in a week; yet over half of Irish respondents believe they are managing their asthma well and perceive themselves to be in good health.”
