This World Asthma Day, Asthma Australia is calling for Awareness on Responsible Use of Oral Steroids in Asthma Care

This World Asthma Day, we’re raising awareness about the responsible use of oral steroids in asthma care. Oral steroids can be an important rescue medicine that saves lives for people with asthma, when prescribed and used for the right reason.

However, when used instead of good asthma management and prevention, excessive oral steroid use can lead to serious side effects such as trouble sleeping, weight gain and osteoporosis.

Kate Miranda, CEO of Asthma Australia said, “The lifetime toxic threshold for oral steroids is 1000mg–that’s equivalent to just four standard doses! The more oral steroids you have had, the more likely you are to experience some side effects.

“With good asthma management, you can prevent future asthma flare-ups and reduce your reliance on oral steroids.

“One on nine Australians have asthma, more than 31,000 were hospitalised with the condition in 2022-23 with 474 people dying from asthma in 2023. Good asthma management and prevention need to be prioritised urgently to help turn these numbers around.”

Read more about Smarter Oral Steroids at https://asthma.org.au/smarter-oral-steroids/

For more information:
Contact Trinity Frederick, 0413 99 22 82