Hay Fever Research Paper

Hay fever is usually caused by recurring exposure to pollen. One of the most common chronic respiratory diseases is allergic rhinitis. Statistics from ABS prove that this particular condition is widespread amongst 3.7 million Australians in between the years 2011-12. Though this statistics shows the prevalence of hay fever the condition is mostly not recognised and understated. This is because individuals suffering from hay fever take over the counter medications and do not present themselves to the doctor.

The Indigenous Australians overall have a high rate of respiratory diseases in comparison to the non-Indigenous Australians. To illustrate this further, in the 2012-2013 statistics of AATSIHS (Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey), 31% of Aboriginals found

Aboriginal people were reported to have 1.2 times higher rate of respiratory diseases than non-Indigenous Australians. Gender-wise, Indigenous women were more prone to respiratory diseases with 34% than their male counterparts with 28%. The prevalence of asthma was a common condition for the Indigenous people. 20% of Indigenous females and 15% Indigenous men have asthma. Asthma affected 20% of Indigenous Australians between the years 2012-2013 who lived in non-remote areas whilst only 10% in remote areas. Only 4% of Indigenous Australians were found to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There were many Indigenous Australians who were admitted in the hospital for respiratory conditions; amongst these COPD was 4.4 times higher, 3.3 times higher for pneumonia and 1.8 times higher for asthma. There are a variety of differing risk factors for respiratory diseases. These risk factors are environmental pollutants, physical inactivity, viral infections, chemicals and hereditary factors. Other contributing factors include deprived environmental conditions which can be greatly influenced by the country one lives in, socioeconomic disadvantage and previous medical conditions.