Ethnic minorities in Britain are up to three times more likely to be admitted to hospital for asthma than other Britons, researchers said on Friday.

Although it may be due to the severity of the illness in minorities, the scientists said the disparity could be a result of differences in access to or quality of health care.

“Our findings prompt questions about whether ethnic minorities receive less preventative, more emergency treatment than their white counterparts,” said Aziz Sheikh of the University of Edinburgh.

He and his colleagues reviewed the results of 13 studies from 1981-2002 involving children with asthma. They found South Asian and black people had a lower frequency of asthma than whites but higher rates of hospital treatment.

“Either the quality of care the minorities are receiving is poorer or there is a difference in their health-seeking behaviour,” said Sheikh who reported the research in The Lancet medical journal.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases, afflicting some 5.2 million people in Britain. It affects the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. There is no cure but drugs can relieve many of the symptoms.

Sheikh said the findings reflect a persistent problem and one in which little progress has been made to redress the inequalities.

“We need a better quality of care to be delivered in the community, more engagement with minority ethnic asthmatics and greater education,” he added.