Low income attributed to lung deaths in UK
LONDON: Poorer people in the UK are more likely to die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (a lung disease) due to low income and poor living standards, a study has found.
In a survey of nearly 6,000 people with lung disease, researchers found that patients’ socio-economic background had a major impact on their chances of survival.
The chronic condition affects more than 1.3 million people in the UK but it is believed that many people with the disease are unaware of it.
Symptoms of this disease include shortness of breath, persistent cough and whistling while breathing.
A survey conducted by the non-profit Asthma + Lung UK revealed that between 2020 and 2021 these patients did not have access to basic treatment.
Of the 4,000 patients who had two or more severe attacks a year, 55 per cent had an annual income of less than £20,000 and 13 per cent lived in cold and damp homes.
The research, published in BMJ Open Respiratory Research, adds to previous studies that have shown that poor people are five times more likely to die from the lung disease than wealthy people.
