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Asthma during pregnancy is associated with a range of adverse perinatal outcomes. It is also linked to increased rates of neurodevelopmental conditions in the offspring. We aimed to assess whether fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO)-based asthma management during pregnancy improves child developmental and behavioural outcomes compared to usual care. The Breathing for Life Trial was a randomised controlled trial that compared FENO-based asthma management during pregnancy to usual care.
General practice-based care for Australian children is facing low levels of clinical guideline adherence particularly in three key areas: asthma, type 1 diabetes and antibiotic use. We offer an implementation science-informed position paper, providing a broad overview of how we aim to address this issue.
Early-life immune development is a critical factor in predicting the risk of childhood respiratory infections, asthma, and poor vaccine responses. Identifying immune endotypes that predispose children to these conditions could lead to the development of predictive biomarkers and early interventions, potentially improving long-term health outcomes.
Risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and mental disorders) arise in adolescence but are mostly framed as relevant to health in adulthood; little is known about the relationship between co-occurring NCD risks and mental wellbeing in young people.
Asthma remission has emerged as a potential therapeutic goal. However, definitions of remission have primarily focused on adult populations, with limited consensus on how remission should be defined in children.
Citation: Evans DJ, D Sly PD, Foster P, Donovan C. Who gets asthma, and why? Med J Aust. 2025;223(S10):S19-S23. Keywords: Asthma; Lung diseases;
Long-standing health inequalities in Australian society that were exposed by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic were described as "fault lines" in a recent call to action by a consortium of philanthropic organizations. With asthma a major contributor to childhood disease burden, studies of its spatial epidemiology can provide valuable insights into the emergence of health inequalities early in life.
Abnormalities of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) layer in asthma may develop before birth. We hypothesize that antenatal inflammation causes physiological abnormalities of the ASM that predisposes asthma. This study determined the short-term effects of antenatal inflammation on the developing ASM.
Few studies have evaluated the effect of maternal influenza vaccination on the development of allergic and autoimmune diseases in children beyond 6 months of age. We aimed to investigate the association between in utero exposure to seasonal inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) and subsequent diagnosis of allergic and autoimmune diseases.
The airway epithelium of children with wheeze is characterized by defective repair that contributes to disease pathobiology. Dysregulation of developmental processes controlled by Notch has been identified in chronic asthma. However, its role in airway epithelial cells of young children with wheeze, particularly during repair, is yet to be determined.