Australia's asthma mortality rate one of the highest in the world

A new report has revealed that more people die from asthma in Australia than in Europe and says Australia's asthma mortality rates are one of the highest in the world - three times higher than in Europe but less than in New Zealand and the UK.

The report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 'Asthma in Australia 2008', reveals there are almost three times more asthma-related deaths in Australia than in Europe and despite declining trends, the death rate remains high in comparison to other countries.

Co-author of the report Leanne Poulos says it is estimated that more than two million Australians are affected by asthma, equitable to 1 in 10 and are more likely to suffer from asthma and die from an attack than people in most other countries - in 2006, 402 people died from the condition, a 69% decrease since 1989 - and in 2004/05 alone, asthma cost the Australian health system more than $600 million.

The new study says why the prevalence and death rate is higher in Australia than overseas, is not known but the disease is worse among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and disadvantaged Australians.

The AIHW report found that while the mortality rate has fallen, Tasmania had the highest rate of asthma, with the condition affecting 13% of the population and NSW had the lowest rate at 9%.

Professor Guy Marks, director of the Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring, said while the rate of adult asthma was unchanged it was plateauing, or declining in children which should ultimately reduce the overall burden of asthma in Australia.

In the last 15 years asthma hospital admission rates had declined by 45% for adults and 42% for children but Professor Marks says despite these positive trends, asthma continues to be a major concern in Australia and there are several areas which can be work on to improve asthma outcomes.

The report found boys aged up to 14 years were more likely to have asthma than girls but the trend was reversed after age 15 and while most child asthmatics had infrequent asthma, less than 5% had persistent asthma, while most adult sufferers experienced only mild or very mild asthma.

The researches say smoking remains a major concern as 11% of children with asthma live in homes with smokers who light up indoors and asthmatics smoked almost as commonly as people without the condition, despite the known adverse effects.

Professor Marks says asthma remains a significant health problem in Australia and of particular concern is that the majority of people with asthma do not have a written asthma action plan, even though national guidelines have recommended their use for the past 20 years.

The report was funded by the Department of Health and Ageing and prepared by the Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring, a collaborating unit of the AIHW located at the Woolcock Institute of Medial Research in Sydney.