Greater Knox Pharmacy
Monday | 8am - 7pm |
Tuesday | 8am - 7pm |
Wednesday | 8am - 7pm |
Thursday | 8am - 7pm |
Friday | 8am - 7pm |
Saturday | 8am - 2pm |
Sunday | Closed |
Image:https://live.staticflickr.com/4011/5081431722_12ebc9227b.jpg
People with asthma have sensitive airways. Asthma is a medical condition that affects the airways (the breathing tubes that carry air into our lungs) where they narrow and swell and may produce extra mucus. From time to time, people with asthma find it harder to breathe in and out, because the airways in their lungs become narrower – like trying to breathe through a thin straw. This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, a whistling sound (wheezing) when you breathe out and shortness of breath. At other times their breathing is normal. Some people develop asthma as a child, others as adults. Some people have symptoms often, some only for a shorter period. There is no cure for asthma, but it can usually be well controlled. Most people with asthma can stay active and have a healthy life.
Asthma symptoms vary from person to person. You may have infrequent asthma attacks, have symptoms only at certain times — such as when exercising — or have symptoms all the time. The most common symptoms are:
For some people, asthma signs and symptoms flare up in certain situations:
Image:https://asthma.org.au/about-asthma/understanding-asthma/statistics/
Over 2.5 million (about 1 in 9) Australians have asthma, including children and adults. Asthma is more common in families with asthma or allergies, but not everyone with asthma has allergies. Asthma is common in children, but it can also start later in life.
Asthma often starts as wheezing at preschool age. Not all wheezing is asthma – many preschool children who wheeze do not have asthma by primary school age.
Adults of any age can develop asthma, even if they did not have asthma as a child.
The exact causes of asthma are not known. The risk of getting asthma partly depends on genetics. Asthma can run in families.
Asthma can be allergic or non-allergic. Allergic asthma is more common in families with asthma and allergies like eczema and hay fever.
Children’s risk of getting asthma seems to be increased by mothers smoking while pregnant, people smoking around babies or young children, air pollution from traffic or industry, mouldy houses, and being born premature or with a low birth weight.
Adults can develop asthma over time from indoor air pollution at work or home (for example, by breathing fumes that irritate the lungs, or breathing in dusts that they are allergic to).
Athletes can develop asthma after very intensive training over several years, especially while breathing air that is polluted, cold or dry.
Researchers have found many other things that could help explain why asthma is so common, but we don’t yet know exactly why some people get asthma and others don’t.
Triggers can cause the airways to become narrow and inflamed, leading to asthma symptoms. Avoiding triggers, if possible, can help to control asthma. Anything that causes a reaction can set off your asthma symptoms.
These triggers differ between individuals. Over time, you will get to know which circumstances can make your asthma get worse. Some can be avoided altogether, while others you will need to plan for:
Badly controlled asthma can have an adverse effect on your quality of life. The condition can result in:
If you feel that your asthma is seriously affecting your quality of life, contact your doctor. Your personal asthma action plan may need to be reviewed to better control the condition. In rare cases, asthma can lead to a number of serious respiratory complications, including:
While there's no way to prevent asthma, you and your doctor can design a step-by-step plan for living with your condition and preventing asthma attacks.
There is no single test for asthma. Doctors make the diagnosis of asthma when a person has breathing symptoms typical of asthma that come and go, and there is also evidence that sometimes air does not flow in and out of their lungs normally. Your doctor will perform a physical exam to rule out other possible conditions, such as a respiratory infection or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Your doctor will also ask you questions about your signs and symptoms and about any other health problems. If you have eczema or hay fever, or have close relatives with allergies or asthma, a diagnosis is more likely. Asthma is also more likely to be diagnosed if your symptoms:
For some people, asthma signs and symptoms flare up in certain situations:
Asthma is classified into four categories based upon frequency of symptoms and objective measures, such as peak flow measurements and/or spirometry results. These categories are:
Classification of Asthma | Signs, Symptoms and Criteria |
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Mild Intermittent | Mild symptoms up to two days a week and up to two nights a month |
Mild Persistent | Symptoms more than twice a week, but no more than once in a single day |
Moderate Persistent | Symptoms once a day and more than one night a week |
Severe Persistent | Symptoms throughout the day on most days and frequently at night |
It’s often difficult to diagnose asthma in children under 5, especially as they find breathing tests difficult. Your doctor will assess the symptoms and your explanation of your child’s symptoms and may give your child asthma medicine to measure its effect – this is called a ‘treatment trial’. Your doctor will monitor the effect this medicine has on your child and will use the results as part of their diagnostic process.
As well as asking about symptoms and doing a physical examination, your doctor will arrange a spirometry test. A spirometer machine measures how hard and fast a child can breathe out into a mouthpiece attached to a tube. Most of the time you will be asked to take your reliever medicine in the middle of the test. This will show what effect the medication has on your lungs. Many people may have allergy tests as part of their diagnosis. These tests can be skin prick tests or blood tests and they detect allergen sensitivities.
Same as School-aged children
Prevention and long-term control are key to stopping asthma attacks before they start. Treatment usually involves learning to recognize your triggers, taking steps to avoid triggers and tracking your breathing to make sure your medications are keeping symptoms under control. In case of an asthma flare-up, you may need to use a quick-relief inhaler. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations should be considered in all patients with asthma.3
The main aims of asthma treatment are:
Good asthma control means having all of the following:
Different asthma action plans suit different people, but all plans should have the same essential features. The plan should:
Most adults with asthma need to take a low dose of an ‘inhaled corticosteroid’ preventer medicine every day, as well as taking their reliever when they have symptoms. An inhaled corticosteroid medicine is usually prescribed for an adult who:
Inhaled corticosteroids include several different medicines and brands. This type of preventer medicine reduces inflammation in the airways and reduces a person’s risk of a severe asthma flare-up. Most adults can achieve good control of asthma symptoms with a low dose.
Preventers sometimes include a second medicine as well as the inhaled corticosteroid. These are called ‘combination’ therapies.
If you have been prescribed a preventer, you should take it every day even when you have no symptoms and also during colds and asthma flare-ups.
Some children with asthma need to take regular preventer treatment every day, as well as taking their reliever when they have symptoms.
Children aged 6 years and over may need regular preventer treatment if they need to take their reliever more than twice a week. Also, if they have flare-ups more often than every six weeks. The best type of medicine depends on their symptoms and age. If your child has been prescribed a preventer, you should make sure they take it every day (even during colds and asthma flare-ups) and keep taking it unless your doctor decides it is safe to stop.
Most preschool children do not need preventer treatment. Your child may need preventer treatment if wheezing occurs often and it is hard work to breathe when wheezing (e.g. your child’s chest sucks in while breathing in), if wheezing is severe enough to interrupt eating, play, exercise or sleep, or if your child has been hospitalised because of breathing problems.
It is most important to keep asthma well controlled during pregnancy. Treatment of asthma is less risky for the mother and fetus than poorly controlled asthma or severe asthma attacks. Review asthma regularly (eg monthly) and intervene early during exacerbations to minimise risk of fetal hypoxia.
SABAs (inhaled 15 minutes before exercise) are first-line treatment. However, tolerance (decreasing duration and degree of protection) may develop with regular use; if this occurs or if SABA is required most days, start regular low-dose ICS treatment. Maximum effect of ICS usually occurs within 2–4 weeks (but could take up to 12 weeks), after which pre-exercise SABA may no longer be required.
Montelukast may be used instead of, or in addition to, low-dose ICS; it is generally less effective than SABAs or ICS, but tolerance does not develop.
Cromoglycate and nedocromil offer some protection but are less effective than SABAs.
LABAs although as effective as SABAs, are not appropriate alone (use with ICS); tolerance may develop.
Using a spacer with inhaled asthma medication improves asthma control, and reduces the risk of side effects associated with inhaled corticosteroids.
Relievers (Short Acting 𝛽2-Agonists or SABA) are fast-acting medications that reduce the symptoms of asthma. They act to relax the muscles around the airways and open them up, allowing more air flow. Relievers work within minutes and their effects last for up to four hours.
Everyone who has asthma needs a reliever (e.g. a ‘puffer’) to use when they have asthma symptoms.
Airomir | Asmol | Bricanyl | Ventolin |
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Salbutamol | Salbutamol | Terbutaline | Salbutamol |
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Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS)
Long Acting Beta Agonists (LABA)
Long Acting Muscarinic Antagonists (LAMA)
Non Steroidal Preventers
Inhaled Corticosteroid (ICS) are the most common preventers. They all contain a medicine called corticosteroid, delivered by an inhaler device.
It is recommended that all puffers (MDI) should be used with a spacer.6
Image | Name | Ingredient | Device & Strength |
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Ciclesonide |
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Fluticasone |
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Fluticasone |
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Fluticasone |
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Budesonide |
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Beclomethasone |
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Beclomethasone |
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It is recommended that all puffers (MDI) should be used with a spacer.6
Image | Name | Ingredient | Device & Strength |
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Fluticasone Furoate + Vilanterol |
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Fluticasone + Formoterol |
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Fluticasone + Salmeterol |
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Fluticasone + Salmeterol |
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Fluticasone + Salmeterol |
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Budesonide + Formoterol |
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Budesonide + Formoterol |
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Budesonide + Formoterol |
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Fluticasone Furoate + Umeclidinium + Vilanterol |
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Usual Choice | Comments |
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Usual Choice | Comments |
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< 6 years | |
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> 6 years | |
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Spacers should be washed before first use, and once a month:
Spacers are recommended for:
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This free and confidential service is available Monday to Friday 8am – 4.30pm (AEST) (excl. public holidays). Freecall 1800 654 301 or email enquiries@lungfoundation.com.au
https://asthma.org.au/about-asthma/understanding-asthma/asthma-control-test/
The cost of asthma is measured by the long-term impact it has on the ability of people with asthma to participate in everyday life.
The estimated cost of asthma in Australia in 2015 was $28 billion or $11,740 per person with asthma. The cost of asthma includes:
Asthma has a major impact on individuals, their carers and Australia’s health system.
In 2017-2018 there were 38,792 hospitalisations in where asthma was the main diagnosis. Almost half (44%) of these were for children aged younger than 14 years old. Children under 15 were more likely to be hospitalised with asthma (442 per 100,000 population) than those aged 15 and over (98 per 100,000).
The previous year there were 70,034 Emergency Department presentations for asthma.
People with asthma are more likely to report a poor quality of life, especially those with severe or poorly controlled asthma. Asthma is the leading burdensome disease for children up to 15 years and in the top ten overall (AIHW Burden of Disease report).
There were 441 deaths due to asthma in 2016. The rate of all deaths due to asthma has remained stable since 2011.
Although there has been a long-term declining trend in deaths due to asthma over this time, Asthma Australia is working to reinvigorate new asthma management and controls so fewer people die.
Asthma mortality rates are higher for people living in remote or lower socioeconomic areas, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. From 2010-2014, the mortality rate for asthma among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders was twice that of non-Aboriginal Australians.