When asthma is controlled by medication, exercise can be beneficial rather than acting as a trigger. Several top athletes are asthmatics. Incidence in Australia Asthma has been on the rise in Australia for many years. We have the dubious honour of being one of the world s asthma hot spots. About 10 per cent of Australians have a problem with the disease, and probably about 20 per cent of children suffer from an asthma attack at some stage.
Asthma ranks among the top ten reasons for visiting a doctor.
There are many theories about why the incidence of asthma is so high here. Most Australian cities are situated in warm, humid areas - ideal conditions for house dust mites to thrive. The mites are so small that they are invisible to the unaided eye, but they breed in dust, carpets, mattresses and pillows. The mites are harmless, but when their droppings are inhaled they can trigger a reaction that makes some people sneeze and causes asthma in others. But house dust mites are not the whole story.