Death from lung issues in spotlight

People living in places such as the Lancashire seaside resort, Liverpool and Sunderland are among the most likely to be admitted to hospital in an emergency and die from lung conditions, according to a new analysis published this week.

- ROB PARSONS

NORTH-SOUTH divides are far from a new phenomenon to readers of this page - but how can it be that Blackpool has a death rate from lung conditions more than two times higher than more affluent areas such as Richmond in London? 

The charity, Asthma and Lung UK, looked at deaths and hospital admissions for people suffering conditions such as asthma, pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition which is mostly caused by smoking.

Analysis of data by the charity - excluding specific deaths from lung cancer and admissions for lung cancer - shows that Knowsley, Inverclyde, Salford, North Ayrshire and Blackburn with Darwen topped the rankings for places with the highest rates of emergency hospital admissions and deaths for lung conditions in England.