Impact of recent catastrophic bushfires on people with asthma in Australia: Health, social and financial burdens.

The survey was completed by 12 152 people of which 7285 (61%) reported a history of doctor-diagnosed asthma.5 People with asthma were particularly vulnerable to the impacts of smoke exposure, with 93.6% experiencing respiratory symptoms compared to 70.2% in those without asthma (Fig. Notably, people with asthma reported significantly higher rates of serious health outcomes including attending the ED (5.9%), hospitalization (2.4%) and requiring corticosteroid medication (16.3%) compared to those without asthma (1.4%, 0.6% and 2.4%, respectively). Keywords: asthma; bushfire; impact EN asthma bushfire impact 296 297 2 03/22/21 20210401 NES 210401 The impact of bushfire, particularly on those with chronic lung diseases, is now recognized.1,2 Individuals with asthma are among the most vulnerable groups.3 As bushfires are anticipated to be longer and more intense in many regions of the world, their adverse impact, particularly in asthmatic individuals, will impose a significant burden. [Extracted from the article]