There are 2.2 million Australians with asthma. Approximately 11% of adults and 15% of children (20 to 25% of primary and 16% of secondary school students) are currently diagnosed with asthma. It is important for school staff to be aware of asthma and its management in the school environment.
What is asthma?
What is the main symptoms of asthma?
What triggers asthma symptoms?
Can asthma be cured?
Asthma medication
Recognising an asthma attack
Asthma First Aid
The Four Step Asthma First Aid Plan
What if it is a first attack of asthma?
Asthma and exercise
Links
Asthma Friendly Schools
People with asthma have sensitive airways in their lungs.
When they are exposed to certain triggers, their airways narrow, making it hard for them to breathe. There are two main factors that cause the airways to become narrow:
The symptoms of asthma may vary from person to person and from time to time.
People may have only a wheeze or cough.
Most children and adolescents who have asthma have mild asthma with very minor symptoms.
At the other extreme, some students need medication on a daily basis and may require additional medication at school (particularly before or during exercise). Most students (even those with severe asthma) are well-controlled and able to participate in school sporting activities.
Each person can have different asthma triggers, varying from allergic to irritant sources. In some cases, extremes of emotion may trigger asthma.
In some people it can be difficult to know what triggers their asthma.
Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled so that people with asthma are able to carry out daily activities without asthma symptoms.
The best way for the student to control asthma at school is to:
There are three types of asthma medication:
There are also combination medications (preventers + symptom controllers).
Usually blue coloured devices; includes Airomir™, Asmol™, Bricanyl™, Epaq™ and Ventolin™.
Relievers provide relief from asthma symptoms (coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath) within minutes. This medication relaxes the muscle around the airways, making the airways wider and breathing easier.Atrovent™ is a different type of reliever that is sometimes used with one of the relievers above. However, it is not used to relieve symptoms of an asthma attack.
Usually autumn coloured device; Inhaled medication includes Flixotide™, Pulmicort™, Qvar™, Alvesco™, Intal™, Intal Forte™, Tilade™. Tablets include: Singulair™ and Prednisolone.
Preventer medications make the airways less sensitive and keep people with asthma well.
The medication reduces the redness and swelling inside the airways and dries up the mucus. When started they may take a few weeks to provide full benefit. Preventers usually need to be taken every day, even when the student is free of symptoms.
Preventers do not provide any immediate relief of symptoms; therefore the student usually should be able to leave preventer medication at home. However, Intal™, Intal Forte™ or Tilade™ may be used in the management of exercise-induced asthma and will then need to be used at school, 10 minutes before exercise begins.
Preventer medications do not relieve an asthma attack.
Usually green coloured devices; includes Forodile™, Oxis™ and Serevent™.
Symptom controllers (also called long-acting relievers) help to relax smooth muscle around the airways for up to 12 hours. Therefore, students should not need to use them at school.Symptom controllers do not relieve an asthma attack.
Seretide™ (purple device) and Symbicort™ (red and white device).
A combination medication contains both preventer and symptom controller in the one device.
Combination medications do not relieve an asthma attack.
An asthma attack can take anything from a few minutes to a few of days to develop.
During an asthma attack coughing, wheezing or breathlessness can quickly become worse.
If a student has any of the signs and symptoms above, and has not responded to their usual reliever medication, then follow the Four Step Asthma First Aid Plan.
The school’s emergency asthma kit should contain one blue reliever puffer and a spacer device.Note: Other devices used to deliver reliever medication, such as Autohaler™ and Turbuhaler™, may be used if a puffer and spacer are unavailable.
Sit the patient upright
Preferably use a spacer and give
Blue reliever medication will be Airomir™, Asmol™, Bricanyl™, Epaq™ or Ventolin™.
Wait FOUR minutes
If no improvement
If someone has difficulty in breathing call an ambulance on 000 whether or not the person is known to have asthma.
Follow the Four Step Asthma First Aid Plan immediately. It could be lifesaving.
No harm is likely to result from giving a blue reliever puffer to someone without asthma and in such circumstances it is acceptable to use the Asthma First Aid Plan.
A spacer is a clear plastic chamber (football or tube-shaped) that acts as a reservoir for the puffer medication. A puffer and spacer deliver 4 times more medication to the lungs than using just the puffer alone.
Do not put more than one puff into the spacer at a time.
Note: there are other medication delivery devices: Turbohaler™, Accuhaler™, Aeroliser™, Autohaler™, and Nebuliser™. To avoid confusion only the inhaler (puffer)/spacer combination, for asthma emergencies has been described here.
Devices such as puffers and spacers that may be used by more than one person must be cleaned appropriately after each use.
(Please refer to NHM&RC Infection Control Guidelines 2004)
For information on other medication delivery devices please visit the Asthma Foundation's website.
85% of students with asthma will notice symptoms when they exercise, that is, exercise induced asthma, EIA.
Symptoms may include:
Exercise is the one asthma trigger that should not be avoided as it can be readily managed. Being physically fit can increase the intensity of exercise required to provoke EIA. After training the student is likely to:
At rest we breathe through our nose.As the air moves through the nose, it is warmed and moistened. When we exercise we breathe faster through our mouths, inhaling large volumes of air. This means we breathe colder, drier air. If a student has asthma, the muscles round the airways tighten and the airways become narrow, making breathing difficult and producing asthma symptoms.
Students should:
Students should:
If symptoms persist or reappear on resumption of exercise the student should:
If symptoms persist follow the Four Step Asthma First Aid Plan.
Exercise should be avoided when:
During exercise, if symptoms occur:
All students with asthma should have a Written Asthma Action Plan (WAAP) which is provided by the student’s doctor and reviewed at each consultation. This plan gives step-by-step instructions to help students manage their asthma. It is preferable that the school also has a copy of the student’s WAAP.
For general information on Asthma
www.asthmatas.org.au
The Asthma Friendly Schools program is a Commonwealth initiative to educate and support students, school staff and parents to better manage asthma in the school environment. It is entrusted to the Asthma Foundations.
For further information and to register schools in the program contact the Asthma Friendly Schools coordinator at Asthma Foundation of Tasmania:
Free call: 1800 645 130 or
Email: afs_asthmatas@bigpond.com
This information was updated by the Asthma Foundation of Tasmania in March 2007.
This page has been produced by the Department of Education
Questions concerning its content may be directed by email to ServiceCentre@education.tas.gov.au or telephone 1800 816 057.
This page was last modified on 3rd September 2008. The URL for this page is: http://www.education.tas.gov.au/school/health/students_health_care_requirements/specificmedicalconditions/asthma.
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