Box 60.1
Asthma
- Asthma is characterized by variable airways obstruction, and defined by the presence of one or more of the following symptoms: breathlessness, wheeze, chest tightness or cough, with reversible airways obstruction shown by diurnal variation in peak expiratory flow >25%.
- The National Review of Asthma Deaths has shown that the UK has one of the highest death rates for asthma in Europe, with 195 deaths attributable to an acute exacerbation between 2012 and 2013.
- Acute asthma is diagnosed by worsening symptoms with associated signs and a reduction in the patient's usual peak expiratory flow (PEF).