First Nations people twice as likely to go to ED for asthma, allergies in sign of increasing disease burden

First Nations people are twice as likely to present to an emergency department with asthma and other allergy-related illnesses compared to other Australians, new research has found. University of Queensland researchers analysed 813,112 ED presentations at 12 public hospitals across Central Queensland between 2018 and 2023, finding that First Nations people were significantly more likely to go to an ED for illnesses like asthma, anaphylaxis, atopic dermatitis and other allergies. Dr Desalegn Markos Shifti, from UQ’s Child Health Research Centre, said the study also found ED presentations for asthma and allergies had increased over time. “Our study captured the burden of severe and potentially life-threatening cases that necessitate immediate medical attention, highlighting the acute impact of asthma and allergic diseases,” Dr Shifti said. Allergic diseases affect about one in five people in Australia, earning it the title of “allergy capital of the world”. That number is set to increase by 70 per cent — affecting 7.7 million Australians — by 2050. “Our findings highlight a substantial and potentially increasing burden of allergic disease among First Nations Australians living in a region encompassing regional, rural and remote outback areas,” researchers said. Published in BMJ Open, they said the findings underscore the urgent need for targeted, culturally appropriate healthcare interventions and further research to understand any underlying causes, particularly in rural, regional and remote settings. “It’s important for further research to understand the impact of allergic disease among Indigenous Australians and to explore the causes of these differences and strategies to address them,” senior author Associate Professor Jennifer Koplin said.