Asthma Flashcards
Define: asthma
condition characterised by inflammation of the airways in response to certain triggers
examples of triggers?
• Triggers include pollen, pet hair, cigarette smoke, physical activity, colds and flue.
what happens when exposed to triggers
asthma attack
what happens during an asthma attack
o Muscle surrounding airways tightens,, mucus builds up, and airway lining becomes swollen and red.
o People struggle to fill their lungs, might cough and wheeze, and find it hard to breathe.
asthma attacks can lead to
respiratory arrest (when a person stops breathing)
is there a cure?
no
how is it managed?
by reliever - eg. ventolin
when does asthma occur?
any life stage, most likely childhood.
why is asthma an nhpa?
- Contributes significantly to burden of disease (particularly YLD, as it has a low mortality rate but can cause significant disability)
- Contribute significant cost to both individuals and communities: often requires hospitalisation and medications (Ventolin)
direct costs to indv?
- Ambulance transport for asthma attacks/respiratory arrest
- Patient co-payments for Ventolin and other medications
- Potential patient co-payments for doctor/specialist services
indirect costs to comm?
- Medicare contribution doctor/specialist appointments
- PBS contributions for essential medicines eg. Ventolin
- Funding for health promotion programs eg. The Sensitive Choice program
indirect csots to indv?
- Lost income
* Cost of carers (esp for young children and older adults)
intangible costs to comm?
• Loss of productivity
• Lost tax revenue
o Due to parents staying home from work to look after sick kids.
intangible costs to indv?
- Stress of having asthma attacks, and increased anxiety of attacks become more frequent/severe than ususal
- Missing school
- Frustration at not being able to participate in physical/social activities (like scuba diving, school sport)
intangible costs to comm?
• Stress and anxiety for family and friends of young children/elderly (esp if they live alone)
behavioural dets?
Tobacco smoking
• Generally increases risk of asthma
social dets?
Low SES
• More likely
• Due to higher smoking rates, increased exposure to environmental tobacco smoke
Early life experiences
• If mother smokes during pregnancy/infancy, child is esp. likely to develop it.
phsyical environment dets?
Air quality • Air pollution is a risk factor Work environment • Exposure to pollutants increases risk Housing • Inadequate ventilation increase indoor pollution increase asthma risk Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke
biological dets?
Body weight • Higher risk of developing asthma Genetic predisposition • Increased chance if family members have Sex • Up to age 15, males more likely to develop asthma Age • Most common for 0-24 year olds
health promotion program?
the sensitive choice program
who?
developed and implemented by the NACA, ran in conjunction with NZAF.
aims?
Encourage manufacturers to produce producst with low irritant/allergy risk
Enable consumers to identify products with low risk of triggering asthma/allergies, and to improve their health in this way.
how?
Manufacturers submit product to the Product Advisary Panel of the NACA
NACA will accept if it has low irritant/allergy risk. If accepted, manufacturers pay a fee to use the Sensitive Choice logo in advertising.
Consumers see the label (indicating low irritant/allergy content, leading to reduce risk of asthma symptoms and allergic reactions) – enabling them to make choices to protect wellbeing.
