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released: 20 May 2010 author: AIHW media release

In 2004-05, Australia spent $3.3 billion directly on the management of respiratory conditions. In 2007-08, general practitioners managed respiratory problems more than any other condition and in 2006 conditions of the respiratory system were the third most common underlying causes of death. This report presents the epidemiology of each of the main respiratory conditions and highlights their differences and similarities. The conditions addressed include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, influenza, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, pneumoconiosis and sleep apnoea.

ISBN 978-1-74249-028-1; Cat. no. ACM 20; 120pp.; Out of print

Full publication

Publication table of contents

  • Preliminary pages
    • Title and verso pages
    • Contents
    • Acknowledgments
    • Abbreviations
    • Summary
  • Body section
    1. Introduction
      1. The respiratory system and disease
      2. Diseases covered
      3. Relationships between respiratory diseases
      4. The monitoring of respiratory diseases in Australia
      5. Report structure
      6. Notes on terms used in this analysis
    2. Respiratory disease risk and trigger factors
      1. Genetic susceptibility
        1. Asthma
        2. Hayfever and chronic sinusitis
        3. COPD
        4. Cystic fibrosis
        5. Pneumoconiosis
        6. Sleep apnoea
      2. Behavioural factors
        1. Tobacco smoke
        2. Alcohol
        3. Exercise
      3. Indoor allergens and air pollutants
        1. House dust
        2. Combustion by-products
        3. Volatile organic compounds
      4. Outdoor allergens and air pollutants
        1. Pollens
        2. Ambient air pollution
        3. The weather
      5. Occupational exposures
        1. Asthma
        2. Hay fever and chronic sinusitis
        3. COPD
        4. Pneumoconiosis
        5. Bronchiectasis
        6. Pneumonia
      6. Dietary factors
        1. Asthma
      7. Excess body weight
        1. Asthma
        2. COPD
        3. Sleep apnoea
      8. Medication
        1. Asthma and hayfever
      9. Infectious diseases
        1. Asthma and COPD
        2. Bronchiectasis and pneumoconiosis
        3. Sinusitis and hayfever
        4. Cystic fibrosis
    3. Asthma
      1. General epidemiology
        1. Prevalence
        2. Mortality
      2. Health service impacts
        1. GP encounters
        2. Hospitalisations
      3. Comorbidities and complicating factors
        1. Side effects of asthma medications
        2. The relationship between hayfever (allergic rhinitis), chronic sinusitis and asthma
    4. Hayfever (allergic rhinitis)
      1. General epidemiology
        1. Prevalence
        2. Mortality
      2. Health service impacts
    5. Chronic sinusitis
      1. General epidemiology
        1. Prevalence
        2. Mortality
      2. Health service impacts
        1. General practice
        2. Hospitalisations and procedures
      3. Comorbidities and complicating factors
    6. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      1. General epidemiology
        1. Prevalence
        2. Mortality
        3. Disability
      2. Health service impacts
        1. General practice encounters
        2. Hospitalisations
      3. Comorbidities and complicating factors
        1. COPD deaths and respiratory cancers
        2. COPD deaths and the circulatory system
    7. Influenza and pneumonia
      1. Influenza
      2. Pneumonia
      3. General epidemiology
        1. Incidence
        2. Mortality
      4. Health service impacts
        1. Hospitalisations
      5. Comorbidities and complicating factors
        1. Greater risk associated with underlying conditions
        2. Greater risks for those 65 and over
        3. Prevention of exacerbations
    8. Bronchiectasis
      1. General epidemiology
        1. Prevalence in Indigenous communities
        2. Prevalence in other countries
        3. Mortality
        4. Trends
      2. Health service impacts
        1. General practice
        2. Hospitalisations
        3. Trends in hospital separations
        4. Management
      3. Comorbidities and complicating factors
    9. Cystic fibrosis
      1. General epidemiology
        1. Incidence
        2. Prevalence
        3. Mortality
      2. Health service impacts
        1. Management
      3. Comorbidities and complicating factors
        1. Associated morbidity
    10. Pneumoconiosis
      1. Causes of pneumoconiosis
        1. Asbestos
        2. Silica
        3. Coal
      2. General epidemiology
        1. Incidence
        2. Mortality
      3. Health service impacts
        1. Hospitalisations
    11. Sleep apnoea
      1. General epidemiology
        1. Prevalence
        2. Mortality
      2. Health service impacts
        1. Hospitalisations and procedures
      3. Comorbidities and complicating factors
        1. Daytime sleepiness
        2. Cognitive function
        3. Motor vehicle accidents
        4. Cardiovascular morbidity
        5. Quality of life
  • End matter

Notes and corrections

The corrected version of the publication is presented above.

  1. 21 May 2010 Appendix A (page 82): The URL was corrected.

Recommended citation

AIHW 2010. Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other respiratory diseases in Australia. Asthma series. Cat. no. ACM 20. Canberra: AIHW.