AUSTRALIAN Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data released by the National Asthma Council Australia (NAC) has revealed that 478 people lost their lives in 2024 due to asthma.
NAC Director and respiratory physician, Professor Peter Wark, said failure to properly diagnose asthma is a serious problem, and results in undertreatment and complacency that asthma is not dangerous.
“Underutilisation of inhaled corticosteroids is related to this perception and directly results in a heightened risk of severe acute asthma,” Professor Wark said.
“These tragic deaths reinforce the importance that all people with asthma receive a correct diagnosis and receive treatment with an anti-inflammatory inhaled corticosteroid-based regimen.”
The recently updated national guidelines for asthma management now recommend adults and adolescents use an anti-inflammatory reliever, and that no-one should rely on salbutamol alone (PD 17 Sep).
“We encourage health professionals to take every opportunity to reinforce that no adult or adolescent should manage their asthma solely with a blue puffer,” Professor Wark said.
Meanwhile, a monthly injection of the drug tezepelumab (Tezspire, AstraZeneca) may help patients with asthma reduce or even discontinue their daily steroid medications, according to a new study published today.
The researchers administered the drug to 300 patients once every four weeks.
After a year on the medicine, around 90% of the patients were able to reduce their steroids down to a low dose, with over half of them completely stopping without any issues with controlling their asthma.
The researchers also noted that the medicine significantly improved asthma symptoms and lung function, and patients reported better overall quality of life, which was seen as early as two weeks into the treatment.
Read the study HERE. KB
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