On average, a person can expect to take more than 700 million breaths in their lifetime.
Living with a chronic lung condition, such as asthma or cystic fibrosis, means a child has to fight for almost every one of those breaths. This holds true for asthmatics, who often gasp for breath and require inhalers to help clear their airways.
Despite remarkable medical advances over the past few decades, non-communicable diseases result in 40 million deaths worldwide each year. About 25 percent of these deaths are caused by diseases of the respiratory system that begin in childhood such as asthma, chronic lung disease of prematurity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. Acute respiratory infections including bronchiolitis, pneumonia and influenza are a major cause of hospital admissions and mortality in children worldwide.
Asthma
- A leading cause of disease burden among children.
- $28 billion/year in asthma-related health costs alone in Australia
- 50% higher prevalence in indigenous children
Aboriginal health
- More than 1 in 10 Aboriginal children in remote Kimberley have a 'chronic wet cough', which can lead to permanent life-shortening lung disease
- Up to 10x higher rates of hospitalisation for Aboriginal kids with respiratory conditions
- Respiratory disease is a leading contributor to the Indigenous health gap
Find out more about Aboriginal health and research
Cystic fibrosis
- 50% of CF patients will die between the ages of 20 and 45 years
- Healthcare costs of up to $200k per year for each child with CF in WA (~ $20 million/yr)
- A lifetime burden of disease for CF patients
Find out more about cystic fibrosis
Premature birth and lung health
- There is an emerging epidemic of pre-term babies suffering from decreased lung function and inflammation
- They often have multiple readmissions in their first few years of life for respiratory complications
- Pre-term babies can experience chronic symptoms that continue into adulthood
Find out more about the key respiratory issues for pre-term babies
Environmental respiratory health
- Environmental exposures in early life have dramatic consequences for respiratory development and physiological function.
- Key exposures include allergens (e.g. house dust mites), respiratory viruses, electronic cigarette aerosols, tobacco smoke, and diesel/biodiesel exhaust.
- The prevalence of tobacco smoking and second-hand exposure in remote Australian communities is estimated to be >70%, while exposure to dust particles in these regions often exceeds recommendations.
Find out more about the key issues in environmental respiratory health
The effect of early environment on respiratory health
- The immune system plays a pivotal role during pregnancy and the early-life development of respiratory function.
- Understanding the factors during gestation that affect the development of ‘normal’ lung function is critically important to decrease the burden of respiratory disease.