Lead Articles

Bushfires and Asthma

With bushfires affecting a wide area around Australia it is timely for people to take special care of their health.

Inhalation of smoke may cause a range of respiratory problems, including asthma. Smoke may trigger asthma symptoms such as wheeze, difficulty breathing, chest tightness or cough and the extreme conditions prevailing in some areas of the country could trigger problems for people with asthma, including those who are not normally affected by smoke. More....

The Role of Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists in Childhood Asthma

The National Asthma Council has released an information paper for the Australian medical profession on the therapeutic role of Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists (LTRAs) in the treatment of children aged two to 14 years with mild persistent asthma or frequent episodic asthma. 

The paper, prepared by a group of asthma specialists, summarises the role LTRAs such as montelukast (Singulair) have on childhood asthma. Paediatric respiratory physicians, general practitioners and a pharmacist contributed to the paper. More....

New Directions in Paediatric Asthma Management

The National Asthma Council's New Directions in Paediatric Asthma Management will screen live on the Rural Health Education Foundation satellite network on the evening of Tuesday 1 April 2003. 

The satellite broadcast organised by the National Asthma Council and supported by Merck, Sharp & Dohme, is part of a national GP education campaign on paediatric asthma. More....

National Asthma Council Session - TSANZ Adelaide

The National Asthma Council was delighted with the overall attendance at their session of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand on April 8. 

The NAC session themes were presented by an expert panel of speakers discussing inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) dosing levels and providing an update in emergency asthma. More....

Written Asthma Action Plans

Since the inception of the National Asthma Council, Australia in 1990, the number of deaths from asthma has fallen from 964 in 1989 to 422 in 2001 (latest figures available). While the number of deaths (1 in 250) due to asthma is relatively low compared with other conditions, many asthma deaths are preventable. Suboptimal medical care and a lack of information means that people continue to die needlessly from the condition.

The recent study by Associate Professor David H Wilson and colleagues in South Australia "Prevalence of asthma and asthma action plans in South Australia: population surveys from 1990 to 2001" published in the 19 May edition of the Medical Journal of Australia, highlights an increased burden of asthma in Australia. More....

The National Asthma Council Breaks New Ground 

In an Australian first, the National Asthma Council will host an interactive virtual roadshow entitled: “Children, Asthma and the Real World” on Tuesday 1 July 2003 from 7.30 – 8.30pm for GPs via the internet. 

The virtual roadshow is a computer online presentation including an interactive Q & A session viewed directly on the GP’s computer in the surgery or at home. More....

Virtual Convenience

The National Asthma Council broke new ground earlier this month with the interactive virtual roadshow “Children, Asthma and the Real World”. Many of our web site visitors who perhaps were unable to view the live performance on the night, or simply wanted to review the excellent presentations have already taken advantage of the roadshow’s continuing availability (still with CPD points available).  More....

Occupational Asthma

Occupational asthma is the most common occupational lung disease in Australia and many other Western countries. It has been estimated that up to 15% of new asthma in adults is directly attributable to occupational exposures. Even more workers with pre-existing asthma find that their asthma is aggravated by occupational exposures. More....

Spring Feature

With the warmer weather on its way, it is traditional to undertake a spring clean. More daylight hours mean many people will have the urge to clean out the house, work on the garden or go for a walk in the park.

For those people who suffer from asthma and allergy, it is a time to be aware of allergen exposure. So while you are compiling the house and garden spring cleaning checklist you should also put some thought into your own asthma wellbeing checklist.  More....

Childhood Obesity and Asthma Risk

An association between being overweight and an increased risk of new-onset asthma in school-age children has been identified in a recent study from America. Being overweight was associated with an increased risk of new-onset asthma particularly in boys and in nonallergic children. Dr. Frank D. Gilliland and colleagues from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles noted that the parallel between the increase in childhood obesity and the epidemic increase in asthma (in the United States) may have public health significance.

In the longitudinal analysis, Dr Gilliland's group examined the association between obesity and new-onset asthma in 3,792 children. All the children were asthma-free at enrolment in the Children's Health Study. More....

Getting the most from Spirometry

nterest in spirometry in general practice has certainly increased over the past year. The support information for the measurement and interpretation of lung function on the National Asthma Council website is one of the most visited areas.

A question often posed by GPs is "Why should my patient undergo spirometry when it is easy to do a peak flow test?" The answer is straightforward. The consistency and reproducibility of the FEV₁, as well as the additional information provided by the spirometer, are among the reasons why spirometry is preferred over peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in the GP’s surgery. More....

Vigilance is the Key

The release of the latest asthma death figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show a welcome fall from 422 in 2001 to 397 in 2002.

Having some time off for those of us who are able to take a break, provides a good opportunity to reflect on the news that fewer Australians died from asthma in 2002 than in each of the past 20 years. More....