Contents
What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic disease marked by episodes of wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath associated with widespread narrowing of the airways within the lungs and obstruction of airflow. The underlying problem is chronic inflammation of the air passages, which also tend to over-react by narrowing too easily and too much in response to a wide range of 'triggers', such as:
- exercise
- viral infections
- allergens
- environmental irritants (including tobacco smoke and other pollutants)
- food chemicals
- aspirin and other medications.
The disease affects all age groups and ranges in severity from intermittent mild symptoms to a severe, incapacitating and sometimes life-threatening disorder.
Why is asthma a National Health Priority Area?
People with asthma can experience reduced quality of life and require a range of health services from consultations in primary care to casualty/emergency department visits to hospital inpatient care. The symptoms are usually reversible with treatment, but death can sometimes result if a severe asthmatic episode is not managed properly. Asthma is a common cause of absenteeism from school and also affects family, work and recreation.
The prevalence of asthma in Australia is high by international standards with recent surveys showing that 14-16% of children and 10-12% of adults have asthma as a current problem. A higher proportion (20-30%) say that they have had wheezing in the last year. More boys than girls report asthma, but after the teenage years it is more common in females than in males. Most asthma cases are diagnosed prior to reaching the age of 15, hence it is a leading cause of chronic disability.
Asthma was estimated to account for 3% of the disease burden in Australia in 1996, 1% of years of life lost due to premature mortality and 5% of years of 'healthy' life lost due to poor health or disability. In monetary terms, the direct costs of asthma were estimated at $615 million in 2000-01.