Ecological study using data from the Census 2021 (self-reported asthma prevalence in 4,6 million aged 0-14) for spatial clustering using statistical area level 2 (SA2, a ‘suburb’ within cities and catchments of rural areas, population around 3000 to 25000) and statistical modelling. The study reported that: (ref 1) – 6.27% overall (average) childhood asthma prevalence…
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey for the financial year 2022-2023 reported: • 16.6% has asthma, up from 15.7% in 2018-2019 (note that the difference between 2018-2019 and 2022-2023 was not statistically significant) • Asthma was the second most prevalent selected chronic condition after mental and behavioural conditions • By remoteness: 18.2%…
In 2023, there were 474 deaths with asthma as underlying cause in Australia, including 325 females and 149 males (see table below) (ref 1): * Women over 75 are the most at risk, with 43% of asthma deaths in this age group in 2023 (Ref 2,3) * Asthma deaths were nearly identical to last year,…
A population-based study in WA analysing hospital admissions in Perth in 2015-2017 and smoke exposure using a model tracking PM2.5 levels during 1700 bushfires and burn offs found that following exposure to high PM2.5 (12.60 mcg/m3 or higher) there was: – 16% (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.35) increase in hospital admissions on the…
Analysis of PBS data indicates that: 33% of people 50 and under being dispensed a preventer were dispensed at least 3 preventers within 12 months (overuse) in 2021-2022, compared to 36% in 2020-2021, 35% in 2019-2020, 34% in 2018-2019 and 34% in 2017-2018, and has therefore remained quite stable since 2017-2018 despite a spike in…
Analysis of PBS data indicates that: 18% of people 40 and under being dispensed a reliever were dispensed at least 3 relievers within 12 months (overuse) in 2021-2022, compared to 19% in 2020-2021, 18% in 2019-2020, 16% in 2018-2019 and 17% in 2017-2018, and has therefore remained quite stable since 2017-2018 despite a spike in…
Prevalence data based on the National Health Survey 2022 indicated that: – about 1.8 million (65%) of people living with asthma also had one or more chronic condition – the top three comorbidities were: mental and behavioural conditions (41%), back problems (25%) and arthritis (23%)
A Cross-sectional survey of 6048 adult Australians with current asthma in the community (conducted in Feb-March 2021 during Covid measures) found that: – 21.7% had difficult-to-treat asthma (DTTA) – 85.4% of the participants with DTTA had at least 1 other chronic condition (comorbidity) Note: DTTA was defined as severe asthma and/or poor asthma control and/or…
Asthma hospitalisations 2022 – 2023 (AIHW) In 2022 – 2023, there were 31,107 hospitalisations with asthma as principal diagnosis.(ref 1) This is an increase compared to years affected by COVID-19 restrictions (e.g. about 25,500 in 2021-22) but remains below pre-pandemic level (about 37,000 in 2018-19).(ref 2) Children under 15 accounted for 43% of all asthma…