§ Sir Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have occurred in the incidence of asthma in children over the past 20 years; what regional variations apply; and what assessment his Department has made of the causes of increases in the incidence of asthma. [9875]
416W
§ Ms JowellThe table shows the mean weekly incidence of new general practitioner episodes of asthma in children per 100,000 of the population in England for each year since 1977. The data are collected from individual practices, and are not collated on a regional basis. It is therefore not possible to provide a regional breakdown. The figures show a clear increase over three decades up to the early 1990s. Although increasing awareness of asthma may have contributed to part of this rise, it does appear likely that part is due to an actual growth in the prevalence of the disease. However, it is still not known what causes asthma or what accounts for this rise.
Nevertheless, there has been a decline in general practitioner episodes of asthma since 1993, suggesting that the previously rising incidence of asthma has abated. This may reflect more effective treatment and higher-quality medical care. The Department of Health remains committed to tackling the burden of asthma on those who suffer from it, and continues to fund research into its causes.
Age group 0–4 5–14 19771 13.7 15.1 19781 26.6 23.4 1979 33.0 25.6 1980 31.6 28.8 1981 31.3 32.7 1982 32.2 31.5 1983 35.4 35.7 1984 52.4 36.5 1985 57.1 43.4 1986 52.4 41.1 1987 74.4 58.9 1988 102.4 68.7 1989 92.9 66.3 1990 108.4 71.0 1991 145.9 89.4 1992 147.8 84.2 1993 152.6 90.2 1994 137.4 89.2 1995 108.9 73.7 1996 104.7 63.7 Note: 1 Data for 1977 and 1978 are not directly comparable with data for subsequent years as the International Classification of Disease (ICD codes) used to extract asthma data were changed in 1978. Source:
Royal College of General Practitioners Weekly Returns Service.