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This year marks 10 years since the world's largest and most catastrophic epidemic thunderstorm asthma event in Melbourne on 21 November 2016.
Ten people lost their lives and several thousand people experienced breathing difficulties, including people with asthma or a past history of asthma, those with undiagnosed asthma and also people with allergic rhinitis who had not ever had asthma.
This year, the National Asthma Council Australia (NAC) is encouraging health professionals to remind their patients with asthma and allergies about the risk of thunderstorm asthma during the grass pollen season.
Grass pollen season typically runs from the start of October until the end of December and brings with it a seasonal increase in asthma and allergic rhinitis and the chance of thunderstorm asthma.
The NAC has released an updated Allergic Rhinitis Treatments chart in time for the pollen season outlining the main intranasal treatment options for allergic rhinitis currently available in Australia. Designed as a poster to go on the wall of your clinic or pharmacy, the Allergic Rhinitis Treatments chart is an invaluable tool to help health professionals explain to patients the range and types of treatments available.
National Asthma Council Australia spokesperson and respiratory physician Professor Peter Wark said the best defence that Australians with allergies and asthma can have as they head into pollen and thunderstorm asthma season is good day to day control of their asthma.
“Asthma management guidelines have changed in the latest update of the National Asthma Council’s Australian Asthma Handbook and it is essential that adults and adolescents with asthma receive a correct diagnosis and receive treatment with an anti-inflammatory inhaled corticosteroid-containing regimen.
“The recommendation is now for anti-inflammatory reliever therapy (with budesonide/formoterol) as needed in those with mild asthma. Or maintenance and reliever therapy (inhaled corticosteroid/formoterol), regularly and as needed. This provides the best protection for most people with asthma against acute attacks.
“The aim of treatment should be for patients to maintain good control of asthma symptoms and prevent flare-ups and using an anti-inflammatory reliever is the best way to achieve this.
“It is important to remind patients that relying only on a blue puffer, or needing it often, means they are at risk of severe asthma attacks, emergency department visits and hospital stays,” he said.
“Now is the time to ensure patients are on the best treatment to control their asthma and to update their written asthma action plan so they know what to do during a spring thunderstorm or asthma emergency,” he said.
Professor Wark said that people with allergic rhinitis and allergy to ryegrass pollen may be at risk of thunderstorm asthma, even if they have never had asthma symptoms before.
“People that are allergic to ryegrass pollen and have asthma could have a severe asthma attack if outside in gusty winds just before or during a thunderstorm in spring or early summer in a place where there is ryegrass pollen in the air. This includes most of south-eastern Australia,” he said.
Professor Wark said first-line treatment options for allergic rhinitis include intranasal corticosteroid sprays, used alone or in combination with intranasal antihistamines.
“Combination intranasal antihistamine-corticosteroid sprays are more effective than either treatment used alone. Intranasal corticosteroid sprays reach full therapeutic effect after one-two weeks, while intranasal antihistamine sprays have a rapid onset of action, providing symptom relief within 15-30 minutes.
“If patients have allergic rhinitis and asthma, treating their allergic rhinitis can also improve their asthma.
“Allergic rhinitis can cause upper and lower airway inflammation, but even more concerning, allergic rhinitis can lead to an increased risk of serious asthma flare-ups,” he said.
Refer to the Thunderstorm asthma fact sheet or nationalasthma.org.au for more information.
The updated Allergic Rhinitis Treatments chart includes prescription only, pharmacy only and non-prescription products. Free hardcopies can be ordered at [email protected]
The popular NAC ‘How-to’ videos are also available for patients to check nasal spray technique.
For further information or an interview with a National Asthma Council Australia spokesperson, please contact:
Donna Le Page, Le Page PR
Mobile: 0429 825 703 or Email: [email protected]