The focus of National Asthma Week this year is to shine a light on women and asthma.

Asthma Australia reports that one in five Australian women lives with asthma. From childhood through to older age, women carry a greater burden of asthma than men. After puberty, asthma becomes more common in women, women are more likely to be hospitalised because of asthma, and more than twice as many women die from asthma compared with men.

One reason for these differences may be hormonal changes throughout a woman’s life. Changes in hormone levels can affect the airways and make asthma symptoms harder to control. This can occur around:

• Puberty and menstruation
• Pregnancy
• Perimenopause
• Menopause

Asthma can also be affected by other factors, including stress, allergies, smoking, air pollution and other environmental or social factors. Together, these can make asthma more difficult to manage.

Despite this, the differences between women and men are not always recognised when asthma is diagnosed and treated.

For more information on asthma, click here. If you would like to speak to your GP about your asthma management, make an appointment by clicking here or phone 8370 9777.