Recent advances in asthma management

Abstract

Asthma is a disease of increasing importance in Australia and appropriate identification and treatment will reduce the morbidity and mortality it causes. This brief review summarises some areas where there has been a change in knowledge and application in recent years. Associate Professor Richard Ruffin, BSc (Hons), MB BS (Hons), MD, FRACP, is a respiratory physician with a special interest in asthma management. He is currently Head of the Division of Medicine, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and also works at Lyell McEwen Health Service. Dr Anne Marie Southcott, MB BS (Hons), FRACP, is a respiratory physician with a special interest in sleep disorders, interstitial lung disease and asthma. She is currently Acting Director of Respiratory Medicine at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and has worked previously at the Royal Brompton National Heart and Lung Hospital and the Royal Adelaide Hospital.