Asthma: Women twice as likely to die from attack, says charity

When Lisa Hall was diagnosed with asthma shortly after having her son she worried whether she would be well enough to look after him.

About 180,000 women in Wales have asthma, which figures suggest kills twice as many women as men.

A charity has said women were being failed by a lack of research into links between hormone changes and asthma.

The Welsh government said any new evidence of more severe disease in women would be considered.

Almost 70% of people who died from asthma in Wales between 2016 and 2020 were women, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In a new report charity Asthma + Lung UK said urgent research investment was needed, claiming inequalities and a lack of research was leaving women "stuck in a cycle of being in and out of hospital and in some cases, losing their lives".  

Lisa, from Newport, was 28 when she was diagnosed with asthma not long after having her son, and said she had to not only adjust to being a mum, but "had this new diagnosis to juggle".

"I would never want a new mum or any other woman or girl to experience the same thing I have," she said.

"We need to better understand how asthma affects women so we can find new treatments that will give people like me their lives back."

Having spent the past 13 years living with the condition, Lisa is concerned what might happen if her asthma gets worse.

The specialist biomedical scientist said she noticed her asthma worsened in the lead up to and during her period. It often left her struggling to breathe.

"I think for some people speaking about your menstrual cycle is quite taboo, so maybe if it's thought about more on a medical level, and questions could be raised from the medical professional side rather than it coming from the patient that would help," said Lisa.

"It could open discussion pathways and potentially better treatment options for women and girls finding themselves in a similar position," she added.

In childhood, asthma is more prevalent and severe in boys. However, after puberty, the situation reverses, and asthma becomes more prevalent and severe among women.

Rates of admissions to hospital in Wales for asthma are similar by sex in the early teenage years but are almost three times higher in women than in men aged 20-49 years, according to analysis by Asthma+Lung UK research.

It said women continue to "draw the short straw" when it comes to research funding and that major investment is needed to look at sex-related differences in asthma.

Sara Woolnough, chief executive of Asthma + Lung UK, said: "Gaps in our knowledge are failing women, leaving them struggling with debilitating asthma symptoms, stuck in a cycle of being in and out of hospital and in some cases, losing their lives.  

"By understanding the role of sex hormones in asthma, we could transform the lives of the three million women with the condition in the UK and the many millions of women with asthma across the world.

"We urgently need to see more investment in research in this area so we can find new treatments and better use existing treatments to help millions of women and save lives." 

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We expect women affected by asthma to be supported by the NHS in line with recommended clinical practice. This includes the provision of individualised care plans that reflect the different needs of patients.

"Any emerging evidence regarding causes of more severe disease among women would need to be considered by guideline setting organisations and where necessary incorporated into recommended clinical practice."