Preventing back-to-school asthma attacks

Asthma is defined as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways associated with an increase in airway hyper-responsiveness that leads to one or more symptoms of breathlessness, wheeze, cough and/or chest tightness; particularly at night. These symptoms can vary in severity, frequency and duration. When treated appropriately, the occurrence of these symptoms can be avoided and asthma can be well controlled (Masoli et al, 2004; Global Initative for Asthma [GINA], 2019). Symptoms of asthma are often reversible, either spontaneously or with treatment (Masoli et al, 2004; GINA, 2019).

Asthma is one of the most common long-term conditions in the UK, affecting both adults and children. Asthma prevalence, related mortality and health-care utilisation in the UK are estimated to be among the highest in the world (Nwaru et al, 2015). With approximately 1.1 million children being treated (1 in 11) (Asthma UK, 2019), asthma continues to be a burden on the NHS, especially in the weeks after the summer holidays. A seasonal peak in asthma attacks has been consistently demonstrated following the summer school holiday, and this is in line with the start of the autumn term.