Fifty thousand people in Wales may have been misdiagnosed with asthma, charity warns

Amelia Jones

A leading lung charity is warning that thousands of people in Wales may be living with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed respiratory conditions, contributing to avoidable hospital admissions during the winter months.

Lung conditions remain the third biggest cause of death in Wales, and emergency admissions typically increase as the cold weather sets in.

According to Asthma+Lung UK Cyrmu, many of these admissions could be prevented with earlier and accurate diagnosis.

Research cited by the charity suggests that as many as 50,000 people in Wales may have been misdiagnosed with asthma, at a cost of around £9 million per year.

Misdiagnosis or late diagnosis can also lead to inappropriate prescribing and worsening symptoms, as well as increased healthcare spending.

One analysis found that delayed COPD diagnosis adds 16 percent to the direct cost of treating a patient in the two years after their condition is identified.

The organisation is urging the Welsh Government and NHS Wales to establish easily accessible respiratory diagnostic hubs across the country.

These centres would provide a single point of access for tests and referrals, allowing patients to be assessed, diagnosed and directed to appropriate treatment in one visit.

The charity says that better access to diagnostic tools would help prevent people becoming more unwell. For example, breathlessness caused by conditions such as COPD or asthma can lead people to reduce physical activity, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

The report also found that wider use of FeNO testing, which measures nitric oxide levels in the breath to help diagnose and manage asthma, could save £6.6 million through more accurate treatment.

Asthma + Lung UK Cymru says its new report, Early Detection, Better Outcomes: Neighbourhood Respiratory Diagnostics, sets out a model for community based breathlessness hubs designed to bring diagnostic services closer to patients.

The charity argues that delivering these tests in local settings, particularly for people in rural communities or those with limited ability to travel, would make diagnosis faster and help reduce winter pressures on hospitals.