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The European Respiratory Society and FIRS mark World Asthma Day
During 2010: The Year of the Lung

BRUSSELS — The European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) are marking World Asthma Day, May 4, with a call for greater understanding of the disease, more awareness of its social and economic impact, and a boost to funding for research to get a better grasp of its causes, and to find a cure.

Additional impetus comes from the 2010 the Year of the Lung campaign, launched to raise awareness of the importance of lung health. The ERS and campaign partners are seeking to remind policy makers that asthma is responsible for 250,000 premature deaths annually around the world, and this figure continues to grow .

Social and economic impact

According to WHO figures, asthma affects some 300 million people worldwide. It is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions and is unequivocally the most common chronic disability for children in the developed world. Asthma affects some 30 million people in Europe, and about 3-5 children in a school class of thirty pupils. In Europe the annual asthma-related costs amount to some €20 billion, while the estimated economic loss due to days off work is about €10 billion .

 “Asthma affects up to one third of the entire population. This is a similar proportion to other malignant diseases such diabetes, which, however, generally begin in later life, whereas asthma begins early on and continues throughout the patient’s life . This has a significant impact upon the cost of care, which will be much higher due the long-lasting nature of the disease,” said Kai-Håkon Carlsen, Professor of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine and Allergology at the University of Oslo.

Asthma treatment and research

There is still no cure for asthma but, with medication available today, attacks can be prevented. Most asthma sufferers who receive proper treatment and take it correctly are able to lead normal lives. However, numerous patients suffer repeatedly from severe exacerbations often demanding emergency care and hospitalisation. This results in a high economic burden on themselves, their families and society in general.

What is sorely needed is continued investment in the field of epidemiology, basic and clinical research to understand the causes, the risk factors and the underlying disease mechanisms. The lack of a curative treatment for asthma is, along with issues such as an ageing population and air pollution, one of the most significant challenges facing our societies today.

In the words of ERS President Prof. Nikos Siafakas, “The major unmet need in asthma care is the means to treat difficult or severe asthma. Severe asthmatics represent only a small percentage of the asthmatic population (10% or less), but account for a large portion of the healthcare costs associated with the disease […] Severe asthma is a high priority for innovative research and an emphasis on continued, focused and strategic investment in existing European research networks in this field would provide a response to Society’s grand challenges in healthcare and in an ageing population. It would also contribute to general wellbeing and a productive workforce.”

Contact:

Nadia Kamel, +32 2 238 53 64
nadia.kamel@ersnet.org