Respiratory Research Bulletin

The research into respiratory health that takes place in New Zealand and internationally plays a vital role in helping us to better understand, diagnose and treat respiratory disease. In this issue, we share some interesting findings from New Zealand and overseas.

Māori children hospitalised with asthma at twice the rate of non-Māori

A study by the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland highlights clear inequities in the health outcomes of New Zealand children with asthma.

The study documented trends in the number and cost of hospital admissions and asthma prescriptions for children aged 0-14 from 2010-2019. It showed Māori children were hospitalised with asthma at twice the rate of non-Māori children (7.2/1,000 versus 3.5/1,000), and a larger proportion of Māori children had an asthma readmission within 90 days of their first admission (18% versus 14%).

Asthma admissions for children living in the most deprived areas were, on average, 2.8 times higher than in the least deprived areas. It’s estimated that the combined cost of asthma hospitalisations and prescriptions was $165m.

While hospitalisations and prescriptions attributable to asthma have declined, the research indicates that many New Zealand children are not receiving levels of primary care for asthma that are consistent with prevention.

Asthma drug may speed COVID recovery

A trial by researchers at the University of Oxford has found that 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 were given an inhaler containing budesonide to use twice a day. This group recovered on average three days sooner than another group given normal care (advice to rest and take paracetamol). A third of those taking budesonide recovered within the first 14 days of using it, compared to less than a quarter of those in the other group.

These are interim results from the trial up to the end of March, which have not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal.

Can Kōwhai help you quit?

Researchers from the University of Auckland have found that a chemical that occurs in native New Zealand plants may help smokers to quit.

Cytisine, found in Kōwhai trees, is already used in cessation treatment in European countries, but has not yet been approved in New Zealand.

The study found cytisine to be more effective than nicotine replacement products like patches. Some 12 percent of study participants who took cytisine pills weren’t smoking six months later, compared to 8 percent in the group who took the Government-funded medicine varenicline. Cytisine also had fewer side effects.

Early life experiences and COPD risk

A study by Joon Young Choi and Chin Kook Rhee in the Journal of Clinical Medicine examined diagnoses of COPD in people under 50.

They discovered common risk factors from childhood that can increase a person’s risk of developing COPD included being born prematurely and having a low birth weight, suffering from asthma and respiratory infections as a child, and exposure to air pollution and biomass fuel.

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