World Asthma Day

 

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World Asthma Day 2025 will take place on 6th May. The event, organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), is held every year in May to raise awareness of asthma worldwide.

This year GINA is calling on healthcare professionals globally to ensure that asthma patients can access inhaled medications that are essential both for controlling the underlying disease and treating attacks.

Currently over five million people in the UK are receiving treatment for asthma – 4.3 million adults (1 in 12) and 1.1 million children (1 in 11).

In the majority of cases, asthma can be controlled well most of the time, though some people do experience more persistent problems.

Occasionally, asthma symptoms can get gradually or suddenly worse. This is known as an “asthma attack”, although doctors sometimes use the term “exacerbation”. Severe attacks may require hospital treatment and can be life threatening, although this is unusual.

 

asthma attack

When to see a GP

If you think that you, or your child, may have asthma, it is advised that you see your GP. Many conditions have similar symptoms, so it is important to get a proper diagnosis and correct treatment.

Symptoms of asthma include:

  • wheezing (a whistling sound when breathing)
  • breathlessness
  • a tight chest – it may feel like a band is tightening around it
  • coughing

Many things can cause these symptoms, but they’re more likely to be asthma if they:

  • happen often and keep coming back
  • are worse at night and early in the morning
  • seem to happen in response to an asthma trigger like exercise or an allergy (such as to pollen or animals)

Find out more information about asthma diagnosis

Published: May 6, 2025