The report finds that all of the children who died of asthma were likely to have been exposed to levels of particulate matter at home and at school that exceeded WHO guidelines, while 92 per cent and 95 per cent were exposed to levels of nitrogen dioxide beyond the WHO limit at home and at school respectively. These levels of exposure are still within current UK guidelines.

The study shows that death rates due to asthma were twice as high for boys than girls, and higher for children from more deprived neighbourhoods – children in the poorest areas were four times more likely to have an emergency hospital admission than those in the least deprived neighbourhoods. Death rates were also higher for those living in urban rather than rural areas.

The report also looks at 19 deaths among children due to anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, during the same period. In 53 per cent of these cases the anaphylactic event occurred at home or the house of a friend or relative, and nuts, milk and eggs were the most common allergens. The most commonly recorded factor in these child deaths was public safety – for example, unclear labelling. One of the most significant findings was that all the children who died due to anaphylaxis who had known allergies were also known to have asthma highlighting that asthma may be an important risk factor.

Read the full University of Bristol news item

Report: ‘Child deaths due to asthma or anaphylaxis’ by Stoianova S, Williams T, Odd D, Sleap V, Fraser J, Garstang J, Grigg J, Levy M, Sharma V, Townshend J, Luyt K on behalf of the National Child Mortality Database