She Needs to Breathe: Asthma is a Women’s Health Issue

Alexander Brown, Healthy Cities Australia 

Did you know that 1 in 5 Australian women are living with asthma? Or that women are twice as likely as men to die from asthma? 

This National Asthma Week from 1 – 7 September, Asthma Australia’s ‘She Needs to Breathe’ campaign is drawing attention to the disproportionate impact asthma has on women. Netballer Liz Ellis is working with Asthma Australia to raise awareness about the issue. Ellis knew she had asthma from an early age but only realised how severe it was during a medical examination at her first game with the national team. With good asthma management, she was able to compete at the highest level in her sport. 

Why is asthma worse for women? Because hormonal changes accompanying menstruation, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause can influence the way women’s airways behave and how they respond to asthma medicines. After the age of 15, girls and women are hospitalised for asthma at around twice the rate of boys and men. The problem is intensified later in life. Women over the age of 75 account for nearly half of total asthma deaths. 

Many women brush off asthma symptoms and most don’t have an Asthma Action Plan, the proven tool to help people with asthma look after their condition and prevent severe flare-ups and exacerbations. Many people with asthma rely on over-the-counter reliever medicines rather than treating the inflammation with preventers and anti-inflammatory relievers. Using just 3 or more blue or grey reliever puffers per year is associated with an increased risk of flare-ups. Using 12 or more increases the risk of asthma-related death. 

Many of the symptoms people with asthma come to regard as normal are warning signs indicating the potential for dangerous flare-ups. These include: 

• Breathlessness that you’ve put down to being unfit 

• Tightness in your chest when the weather changes 

• A cough that won’t shift, especially at night 

• Getting winded doing things that never used to bother you 

• Waking up short of breath 

• Wheezing you’ve dismissed as a cold or allergies 

If you have one or more of the above symptoms, it’s time for a conversation with your doctor. Why not start by making a call to Asthma Australia on 1800 ASTHMA (1800 278 462) or by visiting their website? 

Illawarra locals who need support managing their asthma can make an appointment with their GP or with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District’s Community Asthma Service. 

Healthy Cities Australia also supports families of primary school age children living with asthma through our free Give Me Space! workshops. Our next workshop will be held in Bellambi during the school holidays on 8 October. Click here to register.