- Over 2 million Australians have currently diagnosed asthma.1
- The prevalence of asthma in Australia is relatively high, by international standards:1
- 11.3% of children aged 0 to 15 have asthma
- Between 9.9% and 15.1% of adults have asthma
- More boys than girls have asthma. However, after teenage years, asthma is more common in women than in men.1
- Asthma is more common among Indigenous Australians, particularly adults, than among other Australians.1
- There is a strong link between asthma and allergy: more than 80%of people with asthma have evidence of allergic sensitisation.2
- Atopy is strongly associated with asthma that persists beyond the first 6 years of life.3,4
- The presence of other allergic disorders (eczema or allergic rhinitis) or parental history of atopy are risk factors for persistent asthma at 6 years.5
- Atopy is also a risk factor for hospitalisation for asthma, as are frequent respiratory symptoms, airway hyperresponsiveness and reduced lung function.6
- Children are the group that most commonly visits general practitioners or emergency departments or is hospitalised for asthma.1
- Among pre-school and primary age children, rates of hospital visits for asthma are highest in February and May. In adults, hospital admissions peak in winter.1
- Around 11% of children who have asthma live with smokers and are likely to be exposed to passive smoke.1
- Despite the known additional health risks, just as many people with asthma smoke as people without asthma.1
- Nearly 10% of adult-onset asthma is caused by occupational exposures.1
- People with asthma report poorer general health and quality of life than people without asthma.1
- More people with asthma suffer from anxiety and depression than people without asthma.1
- A greater proportion of people with asthma had days away from work or study in the last two weeks (16.6%) than people without asthma (10.7%) preceding a survey.1
- Poorly controlled asthma restricts participation in normal physical and social activities.7
- In 2007, 385 people died from asthma - the latest figures.8 The risk of dying from asthma is highest in the elderly.
- However, education, together with self-monitoring, appropriate drug therapy, regular medical review and a written asthma action plan, reduces morbidity and mortality.7,9
- Most people with asthma lead normal lives and can participate competitively in sport. Many of Australia's leading sportsmen and women have asthma.7
References
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1.
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Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring 2008. Asthma in Australia 2008. AIHW Asthma Series 3. AIHW cat no. ACM14. Canberra: AIHW.
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2.
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Position statement. Environmental allergen avoidance in allergic asthma. Ad Hoc Working Group on Environmental Allergens and Asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;103(2 Pt 1):203-5.
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3.
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Illi S et al. The pattern of atopic sensitization is associated with the development of asthma in childhood. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2001;108(5):709-714.
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4.
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Rhodes HL et al. Early risk factors for adult asthma: A birth cohort study of subjects at risk. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2001;108(5):720-725.
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5.
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Martinez FD, Wright AL, Taussig LM et al. Asthma and wheezing in the first six years of life. N Engl J Med 1995;332:133-8.
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6.
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Rasmussen F et al. Risk factors for hospital admission for asthma from childhood to young adulthood: A longitudinal population study. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2002;110(2): 220-227.
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7.
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National Asthma Council Australia. Asthma Management Handbook 2002. Melbourne, 2002.
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8.
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Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009. Causes of Death: Australia, Cat. No. 3303.0.
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9.
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Coughlan J, Wilson A, Gibson P. Summary report of the 1999 evidence-based review of the Australian Six Step Asthma Management Plan. NSW Health 2000.
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Content Updated 4 May, 2009
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Last Updated ( Monday, 04 May 2009 )
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Asthma Facts 
