Asthma one of N.Z.'s most serious health problems

Press, 26 July 1984, Page 11

Asthma one of N.Z.'s most serious health problems

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington Figures published in a news report on asthma show it to be one of New Zealand’s most serious health problems. More people aged less than 65 are admitted to hospital with asthma attacks than with coronaries. The report was compiled by Professor T. V. O’Donnell, professor of medicine at the Wellington Clinical School,, who is chairman of the Asthma Foundation’s medical advisory panel. It has been released to coincide with New Zealand Asthma Week. New Zealand’s death rate from asthma among people aged between five and 34 is four times as high as that in Australia, Britain, or the United States, according to the report. The drug bill for asthma medications reaches $2O million a year, and the rate for Maoris is higher than for Europeans. Professor O’Donnell said there was an international focus on New Zealand because of its particular problem of serious asthma. In-depth studies were needed urgently to investigate the basis of New Zealand’s ; serious asthma and its higher mortality rate. The report says that the number of cases of asthma treated annually in New Zealand has almost trebled since 1970. In 1982, 8797 people aged 64 or less were admitted to hospital for asthma treatment, compared with 7024 in the same age group treated in hospital for coronary heart disease. About 600,000 New

Zealanders had experienced the symptoms of asthma at some time in. their lives,: and about half that number could be classed at any one time as asthmatics, Professor O’Doimell said. Exact figures were not known because only small and localised research projects into the prevalence of the problem had been conducted so far. “We lack up-to-date and large-scale survey figures in a really representative sample of our multi-cultural population,” he said. “Our rough estimates are that about 5 per cent of adults and 12 per cent of children are asthmatic.” About 20 per cent of the annual national drug bill was taken up by the prescription of medication for asthmatics. Professional O’Donnell said that there had been a steady increase since the 1970 s in both the total volume and the volume prescribed per patient The annual cost was now more than $2O million and the cost a person was considerably higher than in Australia or Britain. There was a disproportionate amount of asthma among Maoris and Polynesians. The rate of asthma deaths per 100,000 population was 13.1 among Maoris in 1982 (37 in total) and 7.1 among Europeans (206 in total). A study of child admissions to Auckland Hospital between 1970 and 1980 had shown that the rate for Pacific Island children was almost 500 per 100,000, 300 for Maori children, and fewer than 200 for European children.

Professor O’Donnell said there were no simple solutions but the report did give an up-to-date picture of the problem. Effective research could

lead to improvements in care for serious sufferers and the report pointed to the need for a much better understanding of asthma and its management.