In this Issue January 2006

Webcast Remains Online

Bushfires and Asthma Management 

Research Funding Opportunities 

Conference Diary 2006

Webcast Remains Online

The National Asthma Council’s popular national webcast on asthma management titled; ‘Combination Therapy – A question of balance’, will remain available on-line in early 2006, to ensure as many general practitioners, pharmacists and health professionals have the opportunity to review the latest information at their leisure.

The program, which was originally screened late last year, provides a detailed update on the correct prescribing and monitoring of combination therapy within an asthma management plan, enabling interested practitioners to get the latest evidence-based information without leaving their computer.

More than 500 participants took part in the original webcast, with registrations received from all corners of the country and as far a field as the UK, Canada, Geneva, Bombay and USA.

According to webcast presenter, Assoc Prof Philip Bardin, Director of Respiratory Research at Monash Medical Centre, Monash University, Victoria, participants responded well to the interactive component of the webcast with over 50 questions about how and when to use combination therapy and best practice asthma management emailed to the expert panel during the webcast itself, and the days immediately following it.

He said; “Combination products for asthma are important for the management of people with moderate to severe asthma, but there are so many questions that also need to be answered. “The original webcast, explores all the crucial questions and answers, and we hope that by keeping them on line during the slightly quieter start to the year even more health professionals will be able to benefit from them.”

The National Asthma Council webcast, ‘Combination Therapy – A question of balance’, supported by GlaxoSmithKline Australia, is available at

Webcast 2005
(http://www.nationalasthma.org.au/webcast/2005/index.htm).

Bushfires and Asthma Management

The 2006 bushfire season has hit Australia with a fury.

"Smoke and increased air pollution from fires can trigger asthma symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing or chest tightness,” warned National Asthma Council Chairman, Associate Prof John Wilson.

“If you have asthma, or if you are responsible for a child or elderly person with asthma, be aware of the risk and be prepared in case fire strikes unexpectedly.

Include asthma management in your fire safety plan

Anyone living in a high risk bush fire zone, as well as those living in the outlying suburbs where grassfires can pose a smoke risk, should include asthma management in their fire safety survival plan.

Make sure you have plenty of medication available to you, if you decide to evacuate make sure your inhaler goes with you, and always follow your personal Written Asthma Action Plan. These written instructions help people with asthma, as well as their family, carers and neighbours, recognise how to tell if asthma symptoms are getting worse, and what action to take.

Bushfire smoke contains particles of different sizes, water vapour and gases, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Larger sized air-borne particles, containing burning debris, contribute to the visible haze when a fire is burning. They are generally too large to be breathed into the lungs, but they can cause irritation to the lungs, throat and nose.

Finer particles and gases, however, are small enough to be breathed into the lungs. Research conducted on smoke and its effect on asthma in Darwin during the dry season of 2000 found a significant 140% increase in asthma presentations to the Royal Darwin Hospital on very hazy days. The concentration of fine particles in the atmosphere was shown to increase asthma exacerbations.

Bushfire: Asthma Management Tips

• If you live in a fire danger area, or are likely to be visiting one, discuss the dangers with your local GP and update your personal Written Asthma Action Plan accordingly.
• Volunteer fire-fighters with asthma, who are likely to have prolonged, intensive exposure to fire, heat and smoke, should have appropriate personal Written Asthma Action Plans updated with their GP.
• Always ensure you have plenty of medication on hand, particularly reliever medication. Continue use of your preventer as well.
• On days of total fire ban or high fire danger days, listen to your local radio station for localised fire danger updates and reports.
• If you plan to evacuate, always carry your inhaler with you.
• When smoke is in the air, but a fire is not directly threatening you, stay indoors, and, if possible use a filtered air conditioner to circulate air.

Useful Resources

Asthma Action Plans 
http://www.nationalasthma.org.au/html/management/action/index.asp

Research Funding Opportunities