Londoners more likely to die of lung disease in poor boroughs

New research from charity the British Lung Foundation has shown that people living in some of the most deprived areas of London are up to twice as likely to die from lung conditions including cancer and asthma as those in wealthier areas. Some of the worst affected areas are Barking and Dagenham, Newham and Tower Hamlets. In response to the findings, London mayor, Sadiq Khan, called for urgent efforts to improve the capital’s air quality. The study also showed that respiratory diseases are the cause of approximately a fifth of all the deaths in the UK. The mother of a girl who died in 2013 from asthma is currently seeking an inquiry to establish whether the death was due to pollution with a view to possible legal action.

Surveys of the general population suggest that approximately 12.7 million people in the UK (approximately 1 in 5) have a history of asthma, COPD or another longstanding respiratory illness. Half of these (about 6.5 million people) report taking prescribed medication for lung disease in the last year.

Estimates based on general practice records suggest that 8 million people have been diagnosed with asthma, 1.2 million with COPD, and over 150,000 with interstitial lung diseases (pulmonary fibrosis or sarcoidosis), with numbers generally similar for males and females.

From GP records, an estimated 86,000 people in the UK have ever been diagnosed with lung cancer, and over 5,000 (mainly men) have ever been diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Numbers of people with lung disease in 2012