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Local man, 30, braves hottest ever recorded London Marathon to raise awareness of unpredictable killer

Andy from Maidstone, Kent, tackled the heatwave on Sunday to run the London Marathon for Asthma UK

Local man, Andy Smith, finally runs his first marathon on Sunday 22nd April after an injury set him back last year.
Asthma, a chronic respiratory disease which can also be fatal, has been raising more concerns than ever after Asthma UK found that over 120,000 asthma sufferers in the UK are at risk from wrongly prescribed medication and a study by NICE revealed that 30% of people with asthma are suspected to have been misdiagnosed.

“I chose Asthma UK for many reasons, but mainly I want to raise awareness of the dangers of asthma and just how many people it affects; approximately 250,000 people die prematurely each year from asthma and almost all of these deaths are avoidable1. As someone who was misdiagnosed with asthma myself, I understand its importance and want others to be aware.”

“I was all set to partake in the Marathon last year but 2 weeks before I unfortunately injured my Achilles and was unable to take part. After PEMF therapy and rest I was able to start training again. All my training was in the winter, so none of it had prepared me for the hottest London Marathon ever recorded, but I did it and I’m pretty happy with my time, 4 hours and 37 minutes.”

Andy’s company, Bedfont® also manufactures the NObreath® FeNO monitor, which has been helping to improve asthma diagnosis and management for over 10 years.  Known as the unpredictable killer because, according to Asthma UK, it is still very much a misunderstood condition, Andy also wants to raise awareness of how the NObreath® can address these concerns.  Interpreting FeNO levels with the NObreath® can aid in identifying patients who do/do not require on-going treatment2, whilst differentiating between allergic (eosinophilic) and non-allergic asthma3. If used daily, FeNO measurements can also help to predict exacerbations and attacks4.

Andy was one of many who ran 26.2 miles in the record-breaking heat. After fundraising through coffee mornings, raffles and getting his legs waxed live on Facebook, Andy managed to raise £1810 for the charity, which aims to raise awareness of the chronic respiratory disease.

REFERENCES
Established in 1976, Bedfont® Scientific Limited is a second generation family company that has specialised in the design and manufacture of exhaled breath and gas monitoring instruments for medical, scientific and industrial markets globally, for over 40 years. Bedfont® is revered as a pioneer in the breath analysis market with their products now available in over 76 countries across the world thanks to their unprecedented network of appointed distributors. Their aim is to continue innovating and improving health worldwide.
For any enquiries, please contact our PR & Communications Coordinator.

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For more information, please contact:
Kristina Sedge
PR & Communications Coordinator