Asthma is a common respiratory (breathing) condition that makes it harder to breathe. It is caused by the narrowing of small airways in the lungs.

About one in five children are diagnosed with asthma during childhood.

Watch as Audrey asks Professor Katherine Chen about why she chose to specialise in asthma research.

Watch as Audrey asks Professor Katherine Chen about why she chose to specialise in asthma research.

Child using an asthma puffer

Asthma overview

Children with asthma have sensitive airways that can become narrow due to swelling, inflammation, tight airway muscles and too much mucus. These factors make it more difficult for air to get in and out of the lungs, leading to problems with breathing, coughing, wheezing and chest tightness.  

Asthma can run in families or be related to other conditions such as hay fever, eczema and allergies. Many factors can trigger an episode, also called an attack. These include viral infections such as colds, exercise, smoke, changes in the weather and air pollution. While we know the common triggers, we still don’t fully understand the underlying causes of asthma, including childhood asthma.

Most episodes are mild, but some can be severe, leaving children struggling to breathe, exhausted or limp.

Child using an asthma puffer

Who does it affect?

Who does it affect?

  • Asthma is the most common long-term medical condition in children in Australia.
  • About one in five children are diagnosed with asthma during childhood.
  • Children with disabilities are twice as likely to have asthma compared to children with no disability.
  • Asthma is more common in boys than girls before puberty. After puberty, more girls report having asthma than boys.


Explore the links between food allergy and asthma

Watch as MCRI Associate Professor Rachel Peters, plus HealthNuts participant Zane Slater and his father Lee, speak about links between food allergy and asthma

Our asthma research

Our asthma research

The Respiratory group at MCRI is responsible for the longest, most comprehensive follow-up study of childhood asthma. Melbourne Epidemiological Study of Childhood Asthma (MESCA) began in 1964 and is ongoing, having followed those with early childhood asthma into adulthood – reviewing participants seven times.

The project provides insight into the development and evolution of childhood asthma, including outcomes in adulthood and factors that promote symptom persistence or remission.

Researchers at MCRI are using new lab methods to understand asthma-related lung inflammation. These studies will profile inflammation at a single-cell level and will help to identify new therapies. In addition, these studies will assess the role of the lung microbiome in asthma. The study will focus on preschool children with asthma, who are often neglected in therapeutic development and currently have few effective treatments available.

Our researchers are closely linked with our clinical teams at The Royal Children’s Hospital to assess current clinical practice and identify ways of improving care. For example, a new project will analyse how we can use our electronic medical record parent portal to allow objective monitoring of asthma control in between clinic visits. In addition, the Childhood Asthma Readmission (CARE) study focused on identifying the factors associated with repeated admission to hospital with asthma, a significant problem for both affected families and health services.

The ARROW (Assessing the Reduction of Recurrent admissions using OM-85 for the treatment of preschool Wheeze) trial, is a large randomised controlled trial for children admitted to hospital with preschool asthma. OM-85 is an oral medication that helps stimulate the body's immune responses against viral infections and reduce the inflammation that happens during episodes of wheezing. The ARROW trial is the first study conducted by the Children’s Inpatient Research Collaboration of Australia and New Zealand (CIRCAN), with MCRI researchers and statisticians on the investigator team.

Our Population Allergy group is investigating the causes and consequences of allergic diseases including food allergy, asthma, eczema and hay fever.

Our HealthNuts study is assessing the impact of food allergy on asthma risk and lung health. We found that infants with food allergies, even if they outgrow their food allergy in early life, are four times more likely to have asthma than those without food allergy.

Our SchoolNuts study is assessing the impact of food allergy on asthma risk and severity, including factors that might change the control of allergy and asthma. We found that nearly two thirds of 10 to 14 year-old school students with asthma were reporting poorly controlled asthma.

Our MIS BAIR study is investigating whether the BCG tuberculosis vaccine can reduce risks of asthma, food allergies, eczema, hay fever and infections in infants and children.

Our vision

Our vision

We aim to improve the quality of life for children and adults with asthma. Our research pursues better treatment and health outcomes through reduced severity and symptoms, enabling people to breathe more easily. We hope that by studying the link between food allergy and asthma, we can improve the control of both conditions.

Where to next?

Where to next?

We hope to use new lab studies and clinical care models to reduce the burden of asthma on children, their families and the health system.

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