Online test helps warn asthma sufferers of impending attacks

Asthma UK is launching a new online test aimed at people with asthma to help them find out their risk of having an asthma attack and to tell them what they can do to reduce it. People taking the test will find out how to manage their asthma more effectively and stay well and out of hospital. Around 75 per cent of emergency hospital admissions are believed to be preventable with better management and support.

The test, called the Triple A: Avoid Asthma Attacks Test, can be found at asthma.org.uk/TripleA and asks simple questions about factors which have all been linked to an increased risk of an asthma attack that could lead to an emergency hospital admission.

Dr Samantha Walker, Director of Research and Policy at Asthma UK, says: “Asthma attacks hospitalise someone every seven minutes and kill over 1,100 people every year, so they are not to be taken lightly.

“The test is designed to make people sit up, take notice and make changes to the way they manage their asthma if they are shown to be at an increased risk of an asthma attack. This kind of test for asthma has never been done before but we’re confident it will prove an effective motivator to help reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.”