Warning as child asthma admissions rise

The burden of child asthma in New Zealand hospitals has increased sharply, prompting a chest expert to warn that more must be done to control the potentially fatal disease.

The proportion of children admitted to hospital with the breathing disease increased by nearly half in 14 years, according to a Massey University study.

The hospital admission rates for the disease are more than twice as high for Maori and more than three times as high for Pacific Islanders than they are for other ethnicities. And they were more than twice as high in the poorest areas than in the wealthiest.

As winter nears, health authorities are worried New Zealand may be in for bad season of influenza viruses, following trends in the Northern Hemisphere.

Respiratory viruses are a common trigger of asthma symptoms — as are cigarette smoke, nitrogen dioxide from gas heaters and car exhausts, and indoor dampness and mould.

“With the onset of cold and flu season, it is critical that adult asthmatics and parents watch out for asthma symptoms, which may signal a potentially deadly attack,” said chest expert Associate Professor Jim Reid of the University of Otago, who is also a medical adviser to the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation.

“As the temperature drops at this time of year, cold air can cause constriction of airways which is also a risk factor for asthmatics. It is important to maintain a temperature of around 20 degrees in the home.”

Reid said New Zealand had one of the highest rates of asthma in the world and about 70 people died from