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Analysis of worrying new NHS Scotland data reveals the massive gap between richest and poorest among people who suffer the common lung condition COPD. Asthma + Lung UK Scotland, which crunched the numbers, found winter hospital admissions were nearly seven times higher for the most deprived 20 per cent of the country compared to the least deprived 20 per cent. Around 140,000 people have been diagnosed with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) in Scotland with tens of thousands more estimated to be undiagnosed.
It comes as today marks World COPD Day to raise awareness of the debilitating condition, sometimes called emphysema. We previously told how Scots living in the poorest areas are three times more likely to die in winter of a lung condition like COPD or asthma. And amid plummeting temperatures this week , figures last month showed poorer households use 21 per cent less energy than other homes during wintry weather - potentially exposing them to dangerously cold and damp homes which can worsen health conditions.
Health charity Asthma + Lung UK Scotland charity found that COPD admissions increased by 50 per cent in winter compared to summer, piling pressure on the NHS Its latest research found just 5 per .
