PODCAST · health
Asthma Spotlight
by Dr Mark L Levy
Asthma is a very common disease of the lungs affecting over 300 million people worldwide, and attacks can flare up without warning. At least 1000 people die from asthma every day. Most asthma attacks and asthma deaths can be prevented. I'm Dr Mark L Levy family doctor with special interest in asthma. This weekly podcast aims to provide information on asthma to help asthma sufferers and those in their support network as well as health care providers. The information aims to facilitate understanding of the disease, discuss self-management on asthma, how to monitor and strive to control it, and to learn how to recognise and act on danger signals to prevent asthma attacks. This educational podcast contains my own opinions and cannot be interpreted as the delivery of healthcare in any country or jurisdiction where this podcast is available, in perpetuity. These opinions cannot substitute for medical advice from your own doctor so please see the disclaimer below. Future potenti
Episodes
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Asthma- reduce the delay to diagnose
Asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory system. Diagnosis id often delayed, sometimes for years, and one of the reasons for this is where doctors fail to record the word asthma in the records of someone being treated for asthma. In this episode, which is mainly intended for doctors and...
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Preventing Acute asthma attacks
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the respiratory system and breathing. An asthma attack is a risk factor for future attacks. This episode of Asthma Spotlight for family doctors and people with asthma is about preventing future asthma attacks. An asthma exacerbation or attack happens when...
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Acute Asthma
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the respiratory system and breathing. This week, on World Asthma Day GINA (www.ginasthma.org) published the 2026 updated evidence based Guidance for management of Asthma. In this podcast, I have shared my initial thoughts on one aspect of this new…
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Improve Asthma Care - Three simple tasks for Family doctors
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the respiratory system and breathing. Asthma care needs to be improved both nin family practice and emergency departments as a matter of urgency in the United kingdom and probably elsewhere as well. As we near the end of 2025, with evidence of poor…
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New Asthma Research Findings: CARE Study
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the respiratory system and breathing. New evidence for Anti-inflammatory Reliever Therapy (AIR) in children aged 5-15 with so called mild asthma. The New Zealand CARE study confirmed that inhaled Budesonide (an anti-inflammatory controller) in combination...
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Preventable child asthma deaths
Tragically after 60 years preventable asthma deaths continue in childhood in the UK. Most asthma is treated by family doctors who need to recognise risk factors and asthma triggers for future attacks. Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the respiratory system and breathing. The shocking...
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Asthma care in Canada
Asthma is a chronic disease affecting the respiratory system and can cause breathin difficulty. Canada has amoungst the lowest numbers of asthma deaths in the world. In this interview with Dr Alan Kaplan a Canadian Family doctor with a special interest in asthma we explore differences in care...
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End asthma attacks- 2025
Lets end asthma attacks and deaths in 2025! The recent NCMD report (bit.ly/49Pg1BD) found that on average one child dies from asthma every month in England. This is one of 25 reports, papers, confidential enquiries published in the UK in the last 60 years. That these potentially preventable…
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NCMD Child Death report: Asthma and Anaphylaxis
The National Child mortality database (the NCMD) published a report on deaths in children due to asthma and anaphylaxis in England, between 2019 and 2023. Most of the children who died from asthma had past evidence of well known modifiable risk factors for poor outcomes. Had these factors been...
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2024 UK Asthma Guideline
After 5 years, a new UK asthma guideline was published in November 2025. The document is fairly long and has multiple links to other documents which may or may not be read by general practitioners or generalist paediatricians and physicians. So in this podcast I’ve discussed four key messages…
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New UK ASthma Guideline draft: Treatment
Its 5 years since the UK asthma guidelines were updated. In June 2024 new draft chronic asthma guidelines were published by NICE, the BTS and SIGN. Over 600 feedback responses with comments on this draft were sent to the authors for consideration before publishing the new guideline. In this…
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New UK asthma Guideline: Diagnosis
It’s 5 years since the UK asthma guidelines were updated. In June 2024 new draft chronic asthma guidelines were published by NICE/BTS/SIGN. Over 600 feedback responses were comments on this draft were sent to the authors for consideration before publishing the new guideline. In this first of two...
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AIR Therapy - more detail
Many health care professionals who prescribe asthma treatment are not aware of Anti-Inflammatory Reliever (AIR) Therapy. This podcast clarifies this and will hopefully be a ‘light-bulb’ moment for doctors and nurses who prescribe for people with asthma. It will also be helpful for those...
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Wheeze is not a diagnosis
One of the biggest risks for people with asthma is in those whose asthma is not yet diagnosed. People are often being treated for symptoms, like cough or wheezing without a medical diagnosis. So despite having repeated episodes of respiratory symptoms, these episodes are simply treated as one off...
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Asthma Attack - Near Miss
Asthma attacks and asthma deaths are mostly preventable with good care. There is often a lot of publicity, about people who die from asthma. However, not much about people with asthma who have 'near misses'. i.e. life threatening attacks where the management is below expected. thisa happened...
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Severe Asthma
Severe asthma causes misery for many people, it is underdiagnosed and yet it contributes significantly to poor outcomes due to asthma and is very costly for health care providers. About 3-5% of people with asthma have severe asthma and if suspected or confirmed should be cared for by asthma...
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Asthma Therapy 2024
Many colleagues have asked for an explanation on Maintenance and Reliever Therapy (MART) for asthma. Ther is a considerable body of exidence supporting the use of Anti-inflammatory Reliever (AIR) therapy for asthma which is more effective and safer than the use of separate inhalers prescribed for...
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Asthma 2024- Timing Asthma Reviews
Thefre is no point in doing an asthma review when someone is 100% fit ands well. Asthma is a chronic disease prone to flare ups or attacks which could be life threatening. Its characterised by intermittent symptoms or attacks with other periods when the disease is very well controlled and the...
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Asthma 2024-Grave risk for UK patients and doctors
Asthma management in primary care in the UK has reached a stage where patients and doctors are at grave risk. The problem being that a large proportion of asthma care is being delegated inappropriately to individuals (Physician and nurse associates, health care assistants, untrained nurses and...
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Preventing Asthma Attacks - 5
Asthma is a chronic disease that flares up from time to time due to exposure to trigger factors and well known risk factors. Family doctors particularly need to be aware of the triggers and modifisble risk factors for future attacks. The tragic death of another child due to asthma is the last…
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Preventing Asthma Attacks - 4
Continuing the current series on identifying modifiable risk factors that may have contributed to or caused an asthma attack, this podcast is about some of the conditions that may co-exist in addition to asthma. Once identified, they can be dealt with appropriately to try and improve asthma…
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Preventing asthma attacks -3
Asthma attacks and deaths are preventable in the vast majority of these episodes. This is the third episode on practical ways that health care professionals can identify and deal with potentially preventable factors that cause asthma attacks - in this case Ive focussed on inhaler technique - the...
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Preventing asthma attacks-2
This is the second episode aimed primarily for general practitioners and emphasises the rationale and need for all those diagnosed with asthma to be prescribed inhaled corticosteroids either as needed depending on the local licence, or regularly. In many asthma attacks and deaths, people have...
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Preventing Asthma Attacks - 1
This is the first in a series of discussions to help primary care eradicate asthma attacks and preventable asthma deaths. Following the recent inquest report on a potentially preventable death due to asthma in a 10 year old boy, I am continuing with my attempt to encourage general practices to...
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2024 – a new approach for asthma
An asthma attack is a significant event because it is preventable and can cause harm, even death. So Generakl practitioners should see evry asthma attack in patients as a signal that treatment has failed and make every effiort to identify potentially modifiable risk factors (like excess SABA,...
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A 2024 plan to end asthma attacks
Asthma attacks and preventable deaths can be reduced by recognising and dealing with modifiable risk factors. Common risk factors for asthma attacks include: excess prescriptions and use of reliever inhalers; insufficient or no prescription of inhaled corticosteroid preventer inhalers; poor…
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Asthma - A Tragic Death of a child
Asthma deaths in children are tragic and in most cases potentially avoidable. This podcast was prompted by the recent coroners report and regulation 28 statement aimed at preventing future deaths, available at - https://bit.ly/3tDVr6h . All doctors and nurses, pharmacists, health care assistants...
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Asthma Plans- What Health Professionals should Know in 2024
Asthma is a chronic ongoing disease. Sadly it is often treated by health care professionals as if its an acute condition - ie attacks are treated without any investigation of cause and without follow up to address modifiable risk factors. In this episode I have emphasised the use of agreeing...
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Asthma attacks and virus infections
There are lots of causes of asthma attacks. The common cold virus, the Rhinovirus is one of the commonest causes. The key to avoiding asthma attacks is to ensi=ure good control of underlying inflammation - by taking preventer medication as prescribed by your doctor! Ive used Dr Stan Szeffler's…
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Travel and your asthma
Asthma attacks can happen without warning and this podcast focusses on preparation and dealing with asthma attacks when away from home. Preventing asthma attacks by following your doctors advice regarding your preventer medication is key to staying safe when going on holiday or visiting away from...
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Concerns about asthma prescribing
I got really concerned reading social media posts by people about their asthma treatment. Two issues worried me - first that there are changes in medication prescriptions without clear explanation for patients (these seem to be done remotely without face to face consults some cases). Second from...
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Asthma, Food allergy and anaphylaxis
Research in 2023 found that 40% of children who were treated for anaphylaxis were not prescribed essential medication, adrenaline autoinjectors, after treatment for an attack. This episode of the Asthma Spotlight Podcast is for parents and children who are at risk of having anaphylaxis - a…
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Asthma attacks - causes
Asthma attacks are not always easy to recognise and it can be difficult to identify what causes these attacks, or flare ups or exacerbations. There are things or circumstances that acn spark off or trigger attacks and its important to try and notice any particular associations with these attacks....
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Why guidelines are not implemented
Asthma guidelines are not followed by health care professionals looking after people with asthma. In episode 42, I spoke about why there is a need for guidelines and how these are developed. In this episode I discuss some of the reasons why I think doctors and nurses dont use the recommendations...
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Asthma Guidelines explained
In this episode of the asthma spotlight podcast Ive explained how asthma guidelines are used for the management of your or your child's asthma. Asthma Spotlight PODCAST and YOUTUBE Disclaimer: The opinions I express in these blogs, podcasts and videos are not intended as, and shall not be...
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Interview with Louise Fleming - paediatric respiratory specialist
Severe asthma is a particular problem for some children with asthma. Many people with possible severe asthma are not referred to specialists. This asthma podcast for parents of children with asthma and doctors and nurses caring for children and young people with asthma.Dr Louise Fleming is an...
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Interview with Professor Sir Peter Barnes
Professor Sir Peter Barnes is a clinician and research scientist. He is one of the best known and most highly cited researchers world wide in the field of respiratory medicine. In this interview we discussed aspects of his research work and it was an opportunity to share his insights and thoughts...
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Asthma - When Emergency help is needed
Asthma attacks are medical emergencies. Many people do not call for or get emergency help when asthma flare ups are severe. In the National review of asthma deaths 45% 0f those who died from asthma did not get emergency help. In this asthma podcast I discuss some of the problems I think exist…
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For parents of children with asthma
Asthma treatment aims to prevent asthma exacerbations (attacks). Children with asthma require expertise & knowledge by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and parents and children themselves. In this interview Viv Marsh specialist asthma nurse shares her thoughts and ideas on asthma care - both for...
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Asthma exacerbations are not prevented by routine telephone reviews
Routine asthma reviews aim to implement guideline recommendations to identify risk factors and deal with these to prevent exacerbations or attacks. Inhaler technique cannot be taught or assessed by phone. Remote routine asthma reviews are becoming very common in UK primary care, especially...
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Wheeze is NOT a diagnosis
Wheeze is one of the symptoms of asthma. Wheeze could be due to numerous diseases and It is essential to make a clear diagnosis so that a treatment plan can be formulated. The terms such as 'acute viral wheeze', 'acute wheeze' or simply 'wheeze' used by doctors when discharging children from…
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How to organise follow up after an asthma attack
An asthma attack is a red flag warning that something has gone wrong. An attack is also a predictor that another one will happen, therefore it is vital to have an asthma check-up soon after an attack to find out what web=nt wrong and what can be done to prevent another one. In this interview with...
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Richard Beasley on AIR therapy
Asthma treatment has relied on use of blue relievers for over 50 years. In this interview with Professor Richard Beasley it is clear that its time to implement the evidence in favour of using a 2 in one anti-inflammatory reliever inhaler (puffer) instead of the blue salbutamol/albuterol (SABAs)…
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Acute Asthma and Oral Corticosteroid tablets
Many people are afraid to take cortisone treatment for asthma. The key message in this podcast episode is that short courses of corticosteroid (Steroid) tablets are life saving treatment in asthma attacks. However repeated courses of these can be harmful. Therefore the main aim of asthma…
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Asthma inhalers, puffers, spacers and nebulisers
There are three important things that people with asthma should know about inhalers and inhalation medication ie the puffers used for treating asthma. These are inhaler technique or the way you use your inhaler; spacers, the plastic chambers that are used with the pressurised inhalers: and...
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Interview with Professor Andy Bush
In this week's Asthma Spotlight Podcast Professor Andy Bush, respiratory specialist paediatrician shares some of his thoughts about the management of childhood asthma in the United Kingdom and also addresses some important aspects related to asthma care in children which are of interest for…
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Asthma in the UK – my personal reflections
The United Kingdom has amongst the worst asthma outcomes in the world and despite potential access to excellent specialist asthma care. So how have we got to this situation? What is it about the way asthma is managed in the United Kingdom that prevents us from making preventable asthma attacks &...
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Work related asthma - occupational asthma
Occupational or work induced asthma is one kind of asthma that is important to diagnose because it can potentially be cured if your work environment is changed or if you change your job. Clues that you may have occupational asthma are if your symptoms are worse at work and that improve when you…
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Know your own asthma
Its important to understand that an asthma consultation with a health carer is a two way process, and it is in your own interests to be know as much as possible about asthma and also its very helpful for the person you are consulting to be able to understand how your asthma affects your life.…
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Trained nurses enhance asthma care
In the past, asthma care in the UK was mainly delivered by hospital doctors. Since the 1980's nurse training facilitated asthma care in general practice when it was provided mainly by nurses. Originally around 80% of these nurses caring for people with asthma had extensive asthma training.…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Asthma is a very common disease of the lungs affecting over 300 million people worldwide, and attacks can flare up without warning. At least 1000 people die from asthma every day. Most asthma attacks and asthma deaths can be prevented. I'm Dr Mark L Levy family doctor with special interest in asthma. This weekly podcast aims to provide information on asthma to help asthma sufferers and those in their support network as well as health care providers. The information aims to facilitate understanding of the disease, discuss self-management on asthma, how to monitor and strive to control it, and to learn how to recognise and act on danger signals to prevent asthma attacks.
This educational podcast contains my own opinions and cannot be interpreted as the delivery of healthcare in any country or jurisdiction where this podcast is available, in perpetuity. These opinions cannot substitute for medical advice from your own doctor so please see the disclaimer below. Future potenti
HOSTED BY
Dr Mark L Levy
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Asthma Spotlight have?
Asthma Spotlight currently has 71 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Asthma Spotlight about?
Asthma is a very common disease of the lungs affecting over 300 million people worldwide, and attacks can flare up without warning. At least 1000 people die from asthma every day. Most asthma attacks and asthma deaths can be prevented. I'm Dr Mark L Levy family doctor with special interest in...
How often does Asthma Spotlight release new episodes?
Asthma Spotlight has 71 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Asthma Spotlight?
You can listen to Asthma Spotlight on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Asthma Spotlight?
Asthma Spotlight is created and hosted by Dr Mark L Levy.
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