NQ’s only paediatric respiratory and sleep specialist Dr Dustin Mills recognised in US medical journal

North Queensland’s only paediatric respiratory and sleep specialist has been recognised by one of the world’s most influential respiratory journals, with patients claiming his care has changed their lives.

Matthew Collins, Dr Dustin Mills, Florence Collins, Jannika Collins.

North Queensland’s only paediatric respiratory and sleep specialist has been recognised by one of the world’s most influential respiratory journals.

Dr Dustin Mills contributed an article to a special edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, as part of his PhD in chronic wet cough and bronchiectasis.

A patient of Dr Mills, three-year-old Florence Collins has experienced chronic wet cough since she was six months old.

Tests at the Townsville University Hospital showed she was suffering from early bronchiectasis and was started on a plan including anti-inflammatory medication and physiotherapy.

Florence’s parents Jannika and Matthew Collins said the treatment had improved the family’s quality of life, with Florence now cough free for six months, and said she sleeps better and attends daycare.

“The care from Dustin and nurse navigator Leigh had been amazing from early explanations to ongoing support,” Ms Collins said.

Nurse Practitioner Candidate Chronic Respiratory Leigh Francis, Florence Collins, Dr Dustin Mills

“Having access to a doctor with this speciality that we can get in contact with whenever we had concerns, is a saving grace and means we didn’t have to travel to Brisbane for specialist appointments.”

Dr Mills said chronic cough is defined as a child having a cough everyday for more than a month.

“A chronic wet/productive cough can lead to irreversible lung damage called bronchiectasis, where the breathing tubes become chronically infected with bacteria and scarring can occur,” Dr Mills said.

“Bronchiectasis is an often neglected but not uncommon chronic lung disease in children, with the highest rates described in marginalised Indigenous communities.

“Importantly if chronic wet cough is diagnosed early and treated appropriately, bronchiectasis can be prevented, or even reversed in some children as their lungs continue to grow and heal, as shown in my research.”

Originally published as NQ’s only paediatric respiratory and sleep specialist Dr Dustin Mills recognised in US medical journal