The National Asthma Council Australia is the national authority for asthma knowledge, leading the improvement of asthma care and management in Australia.

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that affects the airways (the breathing tubes that carry air into our lungs). Asthma is caused by inflammation and tightening of the thin muscle around the airways which makes it harder to breathe.

Sometimes people with asthma find it harder to breathe in and out, because the airways in their lungs become narrower. It is like trying to breathe through a thin straw. At other times their breathing is normal.

Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in Australia. About 2.8 million (10.8%) people in Australia were estimated to be living with asthma in 2022.*

Asthma deaths are largely preventable. While asthma can't be cured, its symptoms of wheeze, cough and breathlessness can be prevented. The drop in asthma deaths and in emergency hospital visits for asthma are due to the ongoing education of health care professionals, people with asthma and the general community on the latest evidence-based treatments for asthma management. We need your help to support our work and help people with asthma lead full active lives without asthma symptoms.

*Source: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/asthma

Who are we and what do we do?

The National Asthma Council Australia was launched in 1990, in response to the high number of asthma-related deaths at that time. As the leading authority on asthma in Australia, our ongoing priorities are to:

• Continue to update and make available tools such as the Australian Asthma Handbook, the national treatment guidelines for asthma.
• Provide the latest information on asthma to health professionals to enable them to provide high quality care to people with asthma.
• Ensure that people with asthma have access to the latest and best information on asthma.
• Work with all members of the asthma community, including people with asthma and their carers, health professionals, patient support organisations, the health industry, and government agencies to improve all aspects of asthma care.