Introduction
Asthma is primarily a disorder of the airways of the lungs. People with asthma experience difficulty breathing as a result of constriction in their airways. Often people with asthma have very sensitive airways that narrow in response to certain "triggers”. The narrowing of the airway is due to inflammation and swelling of the airway lining, the production of excess mucus and the tightening of the airway muscles. Overall these reduced airflow capacity in and out of the lungs.
Asthma is the highly prevalent within our society and is the most widespread chronic health issue in Australia at present. It affects nearly 2 million people throughout Australia with approximately 1 in 7 primary school-aged children, 1 in 8 teenagers and 1 in 9 adults.