Tragically, 478 Australians lost their lives in 2024 due to asthma, according to new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data released by the National Asthma Council Australia (NAC).
Comprised of 322 females and 156 males, sadly, the figures are almost identical to the 474 asthma deaths recorded in 2023.
NAC Director and respiratory physician, Professor Peter Wark, said failure to diagnose asthma properly is one 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.
“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,” he said.
The updated NAC Australian Asthma Handbook guidelines now strongly recommend against the use of salbutamol reliever only treatment.
Professor Wark said that trials of treatment encourage patients to use their medications haphazardly and reinforce the overuse of salbutamol alone.
“Rigid treatment regimens risk long periods of non-adherence to inhaled corticosteroids and are not flexible enough to control the variable nature of asthma. These are all risk factors for poor asthma control and potentially deadly asthma exacerbations.
“A correct diagnosis should lead to a clear plan now to beginning therapy with anti-inflammatory reliever budesonide-formoterol as needed and then to escalate to regular therapy, preferably with maintenance and reliever inhaled corticosteroids and formoterol.
“These regimens allow greater flexibility and are better suited to the variable nature of patients’ symptoms and the underlying airway inflammation responsible for asthma. They are also more effective at reducing the risk of acute asthma and the need to use oral corticosteroids,” he said.
The ABS data revealed a drop in adult deaths from asthma of those aged 35 to 65 years; however, this was cancelled out by a rise in deaths of those over the age of 65 years, who represent almost 80% of people dying from asthma in Australia.
“Sadly, in the youngest cohort, aged 0-35 years, there was an increase in the number of asthma deaths, from 21 to 28, all of which are likely to be entirely preventable.
“The data also showed that women aged over 75 represented exactly 50% of all asthma deaths in 2024.
“The importance of asthma management may be unrecognised in this group and can often be associated with other chronic medical conditions, possibly leading to undertreatment.
“More work needs to be done in this area, but late-onset asthma affecting women is often driven by severe refractory inflammation that responds less well to inhaled corticosteroids.
“Those with severe type 2 airway inflammation, however, will benefit substantially from biologic agents that improve asthma control and reduce the need to use oral corticosteroids. Specialist referral for those with severe asthma and poor control should be considered at any age, as the treatments are so effective,” he said.
The NAC recently updated the Australian Asthma Handbook national guidelines for asthma management and now recommends that all adults and adolescents with asthma should use an anti-inflammatory reliever, and no one should rely on salbutamol alone.
“We encourage health professionals to take every opportunity to reinforce that no adult or adolescent should manage their asthma solely with a blue puffer.
“It doesn’t treat the cause of asthma, or prevent symptoms or exacerbations and has been strongly associated with an increased risk of asthma death,” said Professor Wark.
