A new report released today by the Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare says asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD) could be a factor in more deaths and
hospitalisations than we think.
Ms Patricia Correll of the Australian Centre of Asthma
Monitoring says conventional analyses are based solely on primary
diagnosis of asthma and COPD.
'What those studies overlook is the fact that asthma and COPD
are frequently listed as additional conditions in deaths and
hospitalisations,' she said.
The report, Asthma and COPD among older Australians,
examines deaths and hospitalisations among people in Australia aged
55 years and over who had asthma or COPD as one of multiple
diagnoses.
It shows that while rates of hospitalisation for asthma have
declined in recent years, rates of hospitalisation for COPD remain
high, particularly for older Australians.
'People in this age group with COPD are also more likely to have
other smoking-related illnesses, such as lung cancer, and those who
die or are hospitalised with asthma or COPD are more likely to have
respiratory infections or heart failure, Ms Correll said.
Other findings include evidence that people with asthma are more
likely to have anxiety, depression and osteoporosis. 'The latter
may be related to the use of inhaled corticosteroids, which can
cause steroid-induced osteoporosis,' Ms Correll said.
6 September 2006
Further information: Ms Patricia Correll, AIHW,
tel. 02 9515 5164.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of Asthma and COPD among older
Australians.