Asthma (patient fact sheet)

Please note that this guidance is currently undergoing review by Safer Care Victoria to ensure  the content is up to date. In the meantime, we recommend that you also refer to more contemporaneous evidence where possible.

Download our fact sheet to provide your patients with easy to follow guidance on asthma.

This fact sheet has the #withconsumers tick from the Consumers Health Forum of Australia

Asthma is a common medical condition that affects the small airway passages of the lungs. More than 600,000 Victorians have asthma including one in four children, one in seven teenagers and one in 10 adults.

During an asthma attack, the lining of the airways swell, there is a build-up of mucus (phlegm) and the muscles around the airways tighten. This causes a narrowing of the airways (bronchoconstriction) and makes it difficult to breathe.