England's asthma hotspots revealed - so is YOUR neighbourhood one of them?
One in nine residents (11.3 per cent) of Mundesley, a village on Norfolk's coastline, are thought to have the illness – the highest rate in the whole nation.
Armed with House of Commons Library figures, we plotted the asthma prevalence estimates for all 34,000 lower super output areas (LSOA) in England.
These tiny neighbourhoods, made up of between 1,000 and 3,000 people, provide astonishingly detailed insights into pockets of the country.
Each LSOA is marked on our map, coloured by how many residents are thought to have asthma.
The darker the shade of red, the more sufferers.
You can zoom into street level to see exactly which neighbourhood you fall within.
A neighbouring sector east of Mundesley was revealed to have the second-highest rates of asthma sufferers (11.1 per cent).
Rounding out the top five came the Eastfield zone of Scarborough, a part of Driffield in East Riding of Yorkshire (10.9 per cent) and another district of Scarborough north of Eastfield (10.8 per cent).
At the other end of the scale, however, was a section of Westminster encompassing swathes of Kensington Gardens, as well as the quiet residential streets surrounding the headquarters of Imperial College London.
There, just 52 people (1.3 per cent) were estimated to be diagnosed with asthma, as per the House of Commons data.
Two other central London neighbourhoods rounded out the bottom three, contrary to beliefs that asthma hotspots might be in the heavily-polluted streets of the capital.
Scientists still don't know for sure what causes asthma, an incurable illness suffered by millions that typically starts in childhood.
Research has repeatedly pointed towards pollution as a possible cause but the jury is still out. Doctors think it could run in families and be down to obesity, with studies showing it's more likely in people with hay fever and eczema.
What is known, however, is that air pollution can trigger flare-ups, or 'attacks', which can prove fatal.
Asthma + Lung UK found around two-thirds of sufferers find poor air quality makes their asthma worse.
The NHS's advice webpage states: 'Symptoms happen when your airways become swollen. This makes them narrower, causing breathing problems.'
Pollution can irritate the airways, as well as pollen, stress, physical activity, cigarette.
House of Commons Library's most up to date figures use the 2011 LSOA boundaries which were updated in 2021.
The data also only accounts for England.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) estimates 3.9m people over the age of six had asthma in 2023/24.
That equated to around 6.5 per cent of the population, or one in 15 people.
The data analysed by MailOnline suggests a correlation between higher deprivation levels and asthma.
Professor Anna Hansell, director of University of Leicester's centre for environmental health and sustainability, said the link is 'not surprising'.
'It is likely to be due to multiple disadvantage starting in childhood or in the womb and acting across an individual's lifetime,' she said.
'Deprived areas have poorer housing that will be more prone to damp and cold, there are higher rates of smoking and exposure to second hand smoke and there is higher air pollution exposure outdoors and poorer air quality inside'.
In terms of why higher asthma rates appeared to be in rural areas, experts said the air in the countryside can be equally toxic.
Agricultural dusts, such as grain dust and poultry dust, are the most common causes of asthma among farmers, according to the Health and Safety Executive body.
Jonathan Blades, head of policy and external affairs at Asthma + Lung UK, said: 'People often assume that air in the countryside is clean, but in reality, some rural areas have significant levels of air pollution caused by farming practices.
'Ammonia emissions, from livestock waste and fertiliser use, can combine with other pollutants to form harmful fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is known to damage lung health and worsen respiratory conditions like asthma.
'While more research is needed to understand if there is a direct link between agricultural fertiliser run-off and asthma, the government urgently needs to introduce stricter national targets to reduce air pollution across all communities – urban and rural – to ensure everyone can breathe clean air, regardless of where they live.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The major mistake you're making after a work out... and the dangerous consequences
Dermatologists are urging people not to skip the shower after they work out, over fears it could lead to painful skin infections. Exercise is a key factor for long-term health and longevity, especially when it's brisk enough to work up a sweat, but showering afterwards is key to removing sweat, dirt, and oils before they can clog pores and cause a breakout or dermatitis, a condition in which skin becomes inflamed and itchy. It can also prevent skin irritation and folliculitis, when hair follicles become infected and inflamed, as well as an infection brought on by a buildup of sweat, bacteria, and oil, compounded with heat. Those substances mix together and get stuck inside a pore. When a pore is clogged, the body's immune system sees it as a threat and sends blood to the area to fight it, causing swelling and redness. And the benefits of a shower go beyond maintaining good personal hygiene. Showering in cold water aids in muscle recovery and soreness, while a hot shower can increase blood flow, potentially helping to flush out metabolic waste products from muscles. But a quick dip under a showerhead is not enough to slough off the potentially harmful bacteria. Dermatologists advise washing with a nourishing, pH-balanced body wash. For people with acne-prone skin, they say to look for formulas that contain salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or niacinamide. While it is difficult to pin down the number of people who share the bad habit of skipping a shower after exercise, a survey in the UK conducted in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, reported that of the 93 percent of Brits who work out at home, 73 percent put off showering for as long as they can. According to North Carolina-based dermatologist Dr Knox Beasley, who spoke to Yahoo! Health, people should shower within a half hour of ending their workout. Sweat itself is odorless, but when it sits on the skin, it feeds bacteria that cause body odor. The effect is worse for people with body hair or beards, which trap sweat and create a perfect environment for bacteria to thrive, Dr Beasley said. And acne is likely to break out on the neck, back, chest, and shoulders, where a person may be less likely to scrub clean. Dr Beasley explained that the longer sweat stays on the skin, the more it damages its natural protection. The bad habit of skipping a shower allows bacteria to multiply and worsen the issue. Dr Anna Chacon of Miami, meanwhile, said the buildup of sweat, bacteria, and oil can also lead to redness and skin irritation. These contaminants become trapped in the pores when combined with heat, leading to irritation flare-ups, particularly in people with sensitive skin or preexisting skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis. These effects also include folliculitis, a condition in which hair follicles become inflamed and the skin breaks out in small pimple-like bumps called dermatitis. This causes itchy, scaly skin, or, in more severe cases, a skin infection, according to New York-based dermatologist Dr Jeremy Brauer. Putting off a shower and leaving feet sweaty and unwashed invites athlete's foot, a fungal infection that causes itchy, scaly, cracked skin between the toes and on the feet. Like athlete's foot, jock itch is a fungal infection that affects the groin area. Tight, sweaty workout clothes create the warm, moist conditions that the fungus needs to grow, causing a red, itchy, often ring-shaped rash. Ringworm is another fungal infection and it can appear anywhere on the body, presenting as a circular, red, scaly rash that may itch. It is highly contagious and can be spread through contact with contaminated surfaces, such as gym mats or equipment, or from another part of one's own body. The most serious threat from not showering is infection by Staph or its drug-resistant form, MRSA. Friction and sweat create micro-tears in the skin, allowing these common bacteria to enter. The infection can quickly escalate from a minor red bump to a severe abscess requiring surgical drainage. The risk is highest in gym environments, where bacteria thrive on shared equipment. For dry or sensitive skin, Dr Brauer suggests using hypoallergenic products and avoiding heavy fragrances. Those prone to acne should choose formulas with acne-fighting chemicals, including salicylic acid, glycolic acid or niacinamide. While Dr Beasley finds that weekly exfoliation is good for preventing buildup, he advised against doing it after a workout when the skin is more sensitive. For situations where a post-workout shower within 30 minutes is not possible, Dr Beasley recommended at least using cleansing wipes as a stopgap, though he cautioned that wipes are no replacement for a shower.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
What sharing a bottle of wine with your spouse every night really means for your health
Since they first met in 2009, Sarah Wellband and her partner James have settled into a nightly routine which involves, at the minimum, sharing the best part of a bottle of wine together. 'We have a gin and tonic, followed by two or three glasses of wine with dinner and watching TV,' says Wellband, a 62-year-old remedial hypnotherapist. Such a routine, seven nights a week, would probably amount to somewhere between 46 and 62 units of alcohol per week, depending on whether that third glass of wine was consumed – far more than the NHS recommended guidelines of 14 units. However, Wellband says that the drinking habits of her and her 70-year-old partner are far from an issue. Instead, she insists that they form an important part of their general wellbeing. '7pm is news and a drink time,' she says. 'It signals the end of the day and time to wind down and catch up with each other. The routine is more important than the alcohol, but it helps. We are well aware of our limits and will leave a glass rather than finish it for the sake of it, but we just find it a nice way to end the day.' Recently however, the potentially long-term harm from excessive daily drinking has been brought once more to the spotlight. Earlier this year, a study found that consuming more than eight alcoholic drinks a week increases your risk of incurring the brain degeneration commonly linked with dementia, while former TV executive Martin Frizell recently gave an interview about his wife Fiona Phillips's battle with early-onset Alzheimer's, and openly mused as to whether their habit of drinking a bottle of wine a night in their younger years had been a contributing factor. Yet the link between alcohol and chronic diseases is a little more nuanced than often portrayed. While excessive drinking has been identified as a direct cause of at least seven types of cancer and a known risk factor for dementia, the exact risk varies considerably from person to person. As Debbie Shawcross, professor of hepatology and chronic liver failure at King's College London, explains, women have far lower levels of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol compared with men, which makes them more susceptible, and studies have even shown that women are more likely to display signs of 'leaky gut' – a term which characterises greater intestinal permeability, meaning that toxins are more likely to leak out into the bloodstream – following a binge than men. An alcohol 'binge' is characterised as more than six units (a standard-sized glass of wine contains 2.1 units) in a single session for women and eight units for men. Some people do also carry gene variants that improve alcohol metabolism, allowing them to knock back the booze with no apparent ill effects – and Wellband says that she and her partner never get drunk on their nightly routine – while your diet can also be a contributing factor. 'Environmental, social and lifestyle factors also play a role,' says Shawcross. 'For example, being overweight or having an unhealthy diet rich in ultra-processed foods can increase the risk of alcohol harm on the body.' On average though, sharing a bottle of wine every night with your spouse isn't the greatest thing for your long-term health. Here's the very latest on how this amount of daily booze can affect your body, and what some of the UK's leading experts advise in terms of how to still enjoy alcohol in a safer way. What are the effects on the brain? As Anya Topiwala, a senior clinical researcher at the University of Oxford, points out, half a bottle of wine a night works out at a minimum of 35 units per week for white wine and 42 units if you're only drinking red wine, which generally contains more alcohol per volume. 'If sustained, I would say there is a high likelihood of this negatively impacting your brain and memory,' she says. This comes from studies she's conducted which have found that people drinking more than 14 units per week, or seven medium-sized glasses of wine, have small total brain volumes, greater age-related shrinkage of the hippocampus – the brain's memory hub and one of the areas particularly impacted by Alzheimer's – and faster cognitive decline. 'Alcohol is a neurotoxin,' says Topiwala. 'Put simply, it kills brain cells. Additionally, heavy drinking often leads to a deficiency in vitamin B1 which can also damage the brain.' But it's not all doom and gloom. By reducing the amount you drink, even by a glass or two per week, it's possible to mitigate and even reverse some of these issues, something which Topiwala has witnessed first-hand in her practice as an old-age psychiatrist, with various patients seeing their short-term memory and recall improving after reducing their alcohol intake. 'I can think of many patients who have experienced a cognitive benefit from cutting down,' she says. What are the effects on the liver? Between 90 and 98 per cent of the alcohol you consume is broken down by your liver, making it one of the organs most acutely impacted by booze. Based on her own clinical and research knowledge, Shawcross says that people consuming half a bottle of wine per night will be particularly at risk of developing fatty liver – a condition where the liver becomes progressively clogged up with harmful visceral fat. Over time, this makes you more prone to cirrhosis or scarring and liver cancer. But she says that cutting down, even slightly, would undoubtedly help. 'There is no safe level of drinking, but if you didn't drink at all for two to three nights per week, there would be even more benefits,' says Shawcross. 'For example, you'd see a reduction in the amount of liver fat, as measured on a scan.' Shawcross is keen to point out that if you are not getting drunk, as noted by Wellband and her partner, it is not necessarily a sign that you have a protective gene variant which allows you to metabolise alcohol more quickly, limiting its damaging effects on the body. She explains that people can develop a tolerance to higher amounts of alcohol because the liver has a different group of enzymes which kick into action when there are consistently large amounts of alcohol in the bloodstream. This isn't a good thing, as harmful fat and other forms of damage will still be accruing, but it makes you less aware of alcohol's effects. 'When this different set of enzymes is consistently activated, it means you need to drink more alcohol to feel its effects,' she says. What is the effect on the heart? Consuming more than 7.5 units of alcohol a day – or most of a bottle of wine by yourself – is thought to increase risk of hypertension, where the pressure on your blood vessels is too high. Over time, this may lead to other issues such as arrhythmia or abnormal heart rhythms. 'Alcohol increases blood pressure and if this is untreated, it puts strain on the heart,' says Shawcross. Studies have indicated that hypertension risk seems to increase proportionally with the amount you drink. So a glass of wine per day will still make you more susceptible than not drinking at all, but is certainly less problematic than two or three glasses. What are the effects on the muscles and bones? As John Kiely, a researcher at the University of Limerick, puts it, alcohol accelerates many of the ravages of ageing, from loss of muscle to reduced coordination and increased vulnerability to twinges, strains and other injuries. In particular, if you've consumed half a bottle of wine one night, it probably isn't a wise idea to hit the gym or do some vigorous gardening the next day as the alcohol will impair your immune system's ability to reach and repair any damaged muscles or tendons, leaving you feeling all the more tender and sore. If you are drinking half a bottle of wine on a regular basis, Kiely suggests that you will be much more likely to get injured. There's also the matter of the progressive muscle and bone loss which most of us experience as part of ageing. Studies have long shown that regular, heavy drinking in middle age accelerates bone weakness and interrupts normal cycles of muscle repair, making it harder to hold onto the strength we have, as we age. 'An otherwise healthy diet and lifestyle will reduce these risks but persistent heavy drinking drives progressively accumulating issues that a healthy lifestyle alone can't fully counteract,' says Kiely. 'For example, alcohol lowers levels of key hormones [for muscle growth] like testosterone and growth hormone, while cortisol, a key stress hormone that drives muscle breakdown, rises. And because alcohol also reduces the absorption of calcium and suppresses the activity of bone-building cells, you're likely to have a faster decline in bone density, making your bones more fragile.' The good news is that such effects do not seem to be as pronounced with moderate drinking. 'A single glass of wine a night for women, or two for men, is unlikely to cause measurable harm to muscle health and little risk for bone health,' says Kiely. 'This is particularly the case for people who stay active and eat well.' What is the effect on how quickly you age? Drinking too much has long been associated with faster signs of visible ageing, such as more wrinkles, saggy skin and a duller complexion, but we now know that consuming half a bottle of wine each night actually ages you at the DNA level. In 2022, Topiwala carried out a study showing that consuming more than 17 units of alcohol per week – or around eight standard glasses of wine – causes damage to the tips of chromosomes, known as telomeres, which play an important role in keeping your DNA stable. 'Alcohol directly damages DNA, causing breaks and mutations,' says Topiwala. 'This is thought to explain why alcohol increases cancer risk.' What you can do to limit the risks While all of this may seem like something of a downer, all these risks are most apparent when it comes to heavy drinking. Research has also repeatedly shown that we can still enjoy alcohol throughout mid and later life and minimise the negative impacts on our health through having a few non-drinking days each week, eating well and exercising, and, particularly, consuming alcohol with a meal wherever possible. For example, one study of more than 300,000 people in the UK found that people who predominantly drank alcohol with meals had a 12 per cent lower risk of premature death from cardiovascular diseases and cancer, compared with those who mainly consumed their alcohol on its own. But for Wellband, like many others, the idea of changing the nightly drinking routine is not something that she and her partner are willing to contemplate, at least for now. 'We have no intention of changing our ways,' she says. 'Although I was adopted I have since discovered my birth mother is 82 and still drinks two or three glasses of wine every night so I'm following her lead. My partner and I have gradually reduced the amount we drink – on the rare occasion we go out for lunch we'll now have a glass of wine each rather than a bottle. Living on a farm with horses and other animals means that we have to be fit and active, but equally we enjoy our evening drinks and would be loath to give them up.' How can you adjust your drinking habit? For anyone looking to try to switch to drinking less, Dr Richard Piper, chief executive at Alcohol Change UK, offers the following guide: Try to spread your week's alcohol across more days Our bodies and our minds are grateful for any breaks we can give them. Pepper your week with several alcohol-free days. Aiming for fewer than five units in a single day will mean your overall weekly consumption should drop. Replace with lower-strength or alcohol-free alternatives There is a wonderful range and availability of alcohol-free alternatives in shops, pubs and bars now, which are improving year on year. Our taste testers particularly recommend the Mash Gang ranges of alcohol-free beers (Journey Juice and Lesser Evil were given a 5/5 rating), while Nozeco Spritz is an alcohol-free cocktail which stands out from others on the market. For wine, our tasters suggested Lindeman's Cabernet Sauvignon as a reliable alcohol-free red to go with a steak dinner. Download the free Try Dry app Developed by experts using behaviour-change science, this app allows you to track your consumption, take a health quiz to see what your current relationship with alcohol looks like and access tips and ideas on cutting back. Try having some alcohol-free weeks Not every week needs to have alcohol in it. In fact, if this idea feels alien to you, that is a sure sign you might have a stubborn drinking habit. Having one or two whole weeks off alcohol every month is a great way to cut back. Sarah Wellband's hypnotherapy clinic, Out of Chaos Therapy, advises on how to change problematic behaviours from disordered eating to phobias
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
I couldn't work out why I always looked so ‘ugly' in selfies then realised my dream £300K home was slowly killing me
A WOMAN discovered her dream home was slowly killing her - thanks to TikTok sleuths suggesting hidden mould could be causing her 'ugly' selfies. Sara Smith and her husband, Colin Smith, moved into their first dream $400,000 (£297,962) home in April 2024 after saving up for years. 12 12 But just two days after they moved in, the 28-year-old started experiencing severe sinus congestions, which she put down to a cold. Six months later Sara noticed her eyelids and skin surrounding her eye turned pink, became itchy and started bleeding. The raw skin was dry and was sore when she used face wash or sweated while working out and initially believed it might be caused by allergies or eczema. Baffled, the procurement analyst posted videos on TikTok about her condition and claims commenters saved her life after saying the rash could be caused by mould. Following an inspection by a mould dog, the couple were shocked to find there was hidden water damage in nearly every room of the house, with the biggest stain lurking under the carpet. The couple have now moved out and alternate staying between their parents' houses while stumping up $10,000 (£7,452) for a remediation company, claiming their insurance doesn't cover it. They've had to bin most of their belongings, including electronics, due to the mould and also face high medical bills. GoFundMe page has been set up by a friend to help support the couple. Sara claims the mould caused her to 'look ugly', triggered anxiety and depression and stopped her from seeing friends. Sara, from Columbus, Ohio, US, said: "My husband and I bought the house together, it's our first house. Serious Warning: New Side Effects of Popular Skin Creams Revealed "The market has been super bad, me and my husband Colin have been saving since 2020. It was a really big purchase, it's a lot for an hourly worker like myself. "Two days after moving in I started having severe sinus congestion, which I thought was just a cold. "I went to my primary care provider and she said it's just a cold. I went to an allergist a couple of weeks later and they gave me steroids. That helped for about two weeks but it returned. 12 12 "Six months in, the eye stuff happened. It started to look like a pink eye shadow and then more like a mask. "The rash was really itchy and it would bleed and crack when dry. "Whenever I worked out the sweat would make it burn so badly. Any type of face wash on it would be the most terrible experience ever." At her wits end, Sara decided to post and see if people had any tips for her issue. She continued: "TikTok told me to get out of there. 12 "It really saved my life, if it wasn't for them commenting I would still believe it was some internal eczema thing. "The mould dog was good at finding the hidden sources. "We did get an inspection before buying the house, some mould was visible in the basement. "The ones that were causing the most issues were stuck between insulation and you couldn't spot it. 12 "The biggest one that was hidden was under the carpet. "My husband ripped off the carpet in the bedroom and it was covered in mould. [At some point someone] painted the ceiling white where the water damage was. "The thing about mould is it makes you really anxious and depressed so I never went to see my friends and I looked ugly so I thought I couldn't leave the house like this. "We had remediation completed last week, the estimate is $10,000. The insurance doesn't cover mould so I'm not getting a dime for this. "I have to get rid of 90% of my items, down to electronics because the mould spores get so deep in there." RETURNING ISSUES 12 While Sara's eyes are now healed, she experiences flare-ups whenever she returns to the house to move her belongings. Sara, who spent more time in the house than Colin due to working from home, said he luckily hasn't experienced any health issues. While the couple were initially excited to move into their new home, Sara said the thought of it now makes her 'feel sick'. The thing about mould is it makes you really anxious and depressed so I never went to see my friends and I looked ugly so I thought I couldn't leave the house like this Sara Smith Sara said: "I work from home and I work out at home in the basement where there is significant mould. "Then I would take a shower in my mouldy bathroom and then I would pick out clothes from my mouldy closet and wash them in my mouldy washer and dryer and sleep in my mouldy bedroom. "My husband isn't experiencing anything, he doesn't work from home and he is pretty active outside of the house. "I'm staying at my family members' houses, I have been back and forth to my in-laws and parents' houses. "It has been super stressful, especially for a marriage. Living under our parents' roof has been really hard. "My eyes started getting better about two weeks after moving back to my parents' house. "They are fully healed now but because of the amount of exposure they've flared again because I had to go to the house to get rid of my stuff. "I'm so depressed, there has been a lot in my head. Whenever I think of the house, it used to bring me so much joy and now I think of it with such disdain, it makes me sick." What is mould and how to get rid of it? Mould is more likely to grow during the winter months. Olivia Young, Product Development Scientist at Astonish revealed exactly why this is. "Unfortunately, mould is a common problem many people face during winter. It thrives in conditions that are warm and damp, so your bathrooms are likely to be the most affected place. "That said, during the colder months most rooms in your home could be vulnerable to mould growing. "This occurs primarily from condensation that builds up on your windows when you've got your radiators on. "If you think about it, when windows and doors are closed, there's not much chance for the air to circulate and the moisture to make a swift exit. "This build up is what can cause dreaded mould to make an appearance, especially in bathrooms, as it creates that warm and wet environment that is a breeding ground for mould. "If left untreated, not only is it unsightly but it can also pose a serious risk to your health, so it's really important you treat it. "The key to tackle mould is to act fast. "Try to come into as little contact with it as you can. So, grab your gloves, tie up your hair and get to work to remove any signs of mould as soon as you notice them. "To keep mould at bay, there are some simple solutions you can introduce throughout home. "The first is keep it ventilated. Yes, even in the cold winter months try to leave your bathroom window open for at least 10/15 minutes post shower or bath. This will get rid of any excess moisture quickly preventing mould gathering. "If you're having a repeat problem with mould in one particular area, it might be because the humidity levels are too high. You can get a dehumidifier that will help keep the levels low and reduce the risk of mould returning. "The golden rule to remember when dealing with mould is the quicker you can treat it, the better. If you leave it, it will only get worse so never ignore it! "To successfully get rid of mould every time, I recommend opting for the UK's No 1 Mould & Mildew Remover, that effectively removes mould and mildew stains almost instantly, with no scrubbing necessary."
