Asthma MOrbidity In NZ

Asthma, disorder of the respiratory system in which the passages that enable air to pass into and out of the lungs periodically narrow, causing coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. This narrowing is typically temporary and reversible, but in severe attacks, asthma may result in death. Asthma most commonly refers to bronchial asthma, an inflammation of the airways (Marieb, 2001).

To understand asthma, it is important to have a basic understanding of how we breathe and the anatomy of the lungs. We breathe in air through the nose and mouth and the mucosal lining of these areas are warm and moist. This means the air we breathe in is warmed and moistened before it reaches the lungs. Additionally, mucous traps all foreign particles so as to prevent them from entering the lungs, which could cause i

Asthma costs New Zealand an estimated $825 million per year in total. This accounts for the 450,000 New Zealanders who have been diagnosed with asthma, the direct costs of health services, and the indirect costs due to lost productivity within the work force. It’s estimated that an enormous 990,000 days are lost due to asthma each year. In 1997, 10,539 people in total were hospitalised due to asthma. Statistics show that children have over three times the hospitalisation rate of adults. (Asthma & Respiratory Foundation, 1999).

In New Zealand, The Asthma & Respiratory Foundation (1999) has stated that the morbidity of asthma has increased predominately amongst children and young adult sectors of the population, although the reasons for this still remain unexplained. An international study spanning 56 countries revealed that New Zealand has the second highest rate of asthma in the world, particularly among fourteen year olds at a rate of 30.2 percent, second only to the United Kingdom at a rate of 32.2 percent. Australia follows having the third highest rate of 29.4 percent (Asthma & Respiratory Foundation, 1999).

A recent paper presented by the Wellington Asthma Research Group showed that antibiotic use, especially in the first year of life, is associated with a fourfold increase in the likelihood of asthma (Asthma & Respiratory Foundation, 1999). Many Parents become concerned when they learn their child needs asthma medicines, particularly when they are required several times each day. They worry that the medicine will harm their child and that they may become addicted to them or that the medicines loose the effectiveness through repeated use (Sears, 1989).

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