Respiratory Research Bulletin T
he research into respiratory health that takes place in New
were given an inhaler containing budesonide to use twice a day. This
Zealand and internationally plays a vital role in helping us to
group recovered on average three days sooner than another group
better understand, diagnose and treat respiratory disease. In this
given normal care (advice to rest and take paracetamol). A third of
issue, we share some interesting findings from New Zealand and
those taking budesonide recovered within the first 14 days of using it,
overseas.
compared to less than a quarter of those in the other group.
Māori children hospitalised with asthma at twice the rate of non-Māori
These are interim results from the trial up to the end of March, which have not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal.
A study by the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland highlights clear inequities in the health outcomes of New Zealand
Can Kōwhai help you quit?
children with asthma.
Researchers from the University of Auckland have found that a chemical that occurs in native New Zealand plants may help smokers
The study documented trends in the number and cost of hospital
to quit.
admissions and asthma prescriptions for children aged 0-14 from 2010-2019. It showed Māori children were hospitalised with asthma
Cytisine, found in Kōwhai trees, is already used in cessation treatment
at twice the rate of non-Māori children (7.2/1,000 versus 3.5/1,000),
in European countries, but has not yet been approved in New Zealand.
and a larger proportion of Māori children had an asthma readmission within 90 days of their first admission (18% versus 14%).
The study found cytisine to be more effective than nicotine replacement products like patches. Some 12 percent of study
Asthma admissions for children living in the most deprived areas
participants who took cytisine pills weren’t smoking six months later,
were, on average, 2.8 times higher than in the least deprived areas.
compared to 8 percent in the group who took the Government-funded
It’s estimated that the combined cost of asthma hospitalisations and
medicine varenicline. Cytisine also had fewer side effects.
prescriptions was $165m.
Early life experiences and COPD risk While hospitalisations and prescriptions attributable to asthma have
A study by Joon Young Choi and Chin Kook Rhee in the Journal of
declined, the research indicates that many New Zealand children are
Clinical Medicine examined diagnoses of COPD in people under 50.
not receiving levels of primary care for asthma that are consistent with prevention.
They discovered common risk factors from childhood that can increase a person’s risk of developing COPD included being born prematurely
Asthma drug may speed COVID recovery
and having a low birth weight, suffering from asthma and respiratory
A trial by researchers at the University of Oxford has found that
infections as a child, and exposure to air pollution and biomass fuel.
budesonide can help people recover more quickly from COVID-19 at home. The trial involved more than 1,700 people at high risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19 - aged over 50 with an underlying health condition or aged over 65 with no health problems. During the first two weeks of experiencing symptoms at home, 751
Want to know more? We have collated leading peer-reviewed respiratory research from across the globe on our research portal. Check it out today at : www.asthmafoundation.org.nz/research
5 Better Breathing
