People in poverty twice as likely to need hospital for lung conditions – report

Living in poverty with a lung condition doubles the risk of an emergency hospital admission, according to NHS England figures analysed by charity Asthma + Lung UK.

According to the data, there were 48,060 emergency respiratory hospital admissions in the least deprived ten percent of local areas in 2021/22, compared to 95,846 in the most deprived ten percent, based on where patients lived.

The charity published the figures alongside a new report calling on the government to urgently prioritise lung health. 

The report, based on the charity’s largest ever survey of over 14,000 people with lung conditions, found that of the lowest earners surveyed:

• One in four are struggling with breathlessness every day
• Nearly half (46 percent) of those who pay for prescriptions said they couldn’t afford to pay for them, compared to just six percent in the highest income group
• Seven out of ten respondents with asthma live with uncontrolled asthma, putting them at greater risk of having a potentially life-threatening asthma attack
• Just 37 percent were able to access same-day GP care, compared to half of the highest earners
• They were more than twice as likely as the highest earners to give up work in the last year due to breathlessness
• Seven out of ten felt their lung condition has worsened and nearly two thirds (61%) feel that they need more support with their condition now than they did a year ago.

The charity’s analysis shows a link between growing difficulties paying for basic necessities, including rent, food and medication, and a deterioration in health. Cutbacks in every area of life are affecting people’s ability to manage their lung conditions, increasing the likelihood of people developing life-threatening symptoms and needing emergency hospital admissions.

Asthma + Lung UK called on the government to urgently put in place a strategy to improve respiratory care and provide tailored financial support for people on low incomes with lung conditions to ensure they can pay for basics like energy bills and prescriptions, helping them to manage their conditions better.

Between 2021 and 2022, Asthma + Lung UK’s helpline saw a 70 percent increase in calls from people seeking advice on benefits, prescription charges and help paying for food and fuel, while seven out of ten survey respondents felt their income had been impacted by the cost of living crisis.

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of Asthma + Lung UK, said: “Struggling to breathe can be a terrifying and debilitating experience – it’s unacceptable that people living in poverty with a lung condition are struggling to access support when their symptoms get worse and are at greater risk of ending up in hospital fighting for their life. I have heard from people who have said that the cost-of-living crisis is doing irreparable damage to their lungs.

“We should do all we can to minimise the need for emergency hospital treatment, which is why there needs to be a seismic shift in how this government tackles poverty and health inequalities, as the cost-of-living crisis makes it even harder for people to breathe.”

Sir Michael Marmot, director of the Institute of Health Equity at University College London, said: “Inequalities in society manifest themselves in people’s bodies, seen most clearly in the lungs. Influences associated with social disadvantage are causes of major lung conditions. And make it much more difficult for people to manage their illness. The time for change is now.”