Asthma

Who does it affect?

• The prevalence of asthma in Australia is among the highest in the world.
• Asthma is the most common long-term medical condition in children in Australia, with about one in five children diagnosed with asthma during childhood.
• About one in 10 children in Australia aged under 14 have chronic asthma.
• Asthma is common in children with disabilities. They are twice as likely to have asthma compared to children with no disability.
• Asthma is more common in boys than girls.

Our asthma research

The respiratory research group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute is responsible for the longest, most comprehensive follow-up study of childhood asthma. Melbourne Epidemiological Study of Childhood Asthma (MESCA) began in 1964 and is ongoing, having followed those with early childhood asthma into adulthood – reviewing participants seven times.

The project provides insight into the development and evolution of childhood asthma, including outcomes in adulthood and factors that promote symptom persistence or remission.

Researchers at Murdoch Children’s are using new laboratory methods to understand asthma-related lung inflammation. These studies will profile inflammation at a single-cell level and will help to identify new therapies. In addition, these studies will assess the role of the lung microbiome in asthma. The study will focus on preschool children with asthma, who are often neglected in therapeutic development and currently have few effective treatments available.

Our researchers are closely linked with our clinical teams at The Royal Children’s Hospital to assess current clinical practice and identify ways of improving care. For example, a new project will analyse how we can use our electronic medical record parent portal to allow objective monitoring of asthma control in between clinic visits. In addition, the CARE study focused on identifying the factors associated with repeated admission to hospital with asthma, a significant problem for both affected families and health services.

Our population allergy group is investigating the progression of allergic diseases including food allergy, asthma, eczema and hay fever.

We also want to understand the role of food in asthma development. Teenagers with food allergies are four times more likely to have asthma than those without and it appears to increase the risk of poorly controlled asthma. 

Our SchoolNuts study is assessing the impact of food allergy on asthma risk and severity, including factors that might change the control of allergy and asthma.

Our MIS BAIR study is investigating whether the BCG tuberculosis vaccine can reduce risks of asthma, food allergies, eczema, hay fever and infections in infants and children.

We are testing if a barrier skin cream will stop allergic irritants from penetrating infant skin. These irritants are thought to raise the risk of developing allergic conditions including mild to severe childhood asthma. 

Our vision

We aim to improve the quality of life for children and adults with asthma. Our research pursues better treatment and health outcomes through reduced severity and symptoms, enabling people to breathe more easily. We hope that by studying the link between food allergy and asthma, we help to improve the control of both conditions.

Where to next?

We hope to use new laboratory studies and clinical care models to reduce the burden of asthma on children, their families and the health system.