Study finds Indigenous Australians more likely to be hospitalised for allergies

Central Qld EDs are having First Nations Australians present with asthma and allergy-related illnesses at twice the rate of other Australians, a study has found.

Australia is already considered the “allergy capital of the world,” with allergic diseases affecting about one in five people.

First Nations people are presenting at Central Queensland hospital emergency departments with asthma and allergy-related illnesses at twice the rate of other Australians, a new study has revealed.

Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) analysed more than 800,000 emergency department (ED) visits across 12 public hospitals across the region over five years, between 2018 and 2023.

The involved were Baralaba, Biloela, Blackwater, Emerald, Gladstone, Mount Morgan, Moura, Rockhampton, Springsure, Theodore, Woorabinda, and Yeppoon.

Lead researcher Dr Desalegn Markos Shifti, from UQ’s Child Health Research Centre, said the findings highlighted a significant and growing health disparity.

“We found First Nations Australians were significantly more likely to present to an ED for asthma or other allergic diseases compared to other Australians,” Dr Shifti said.

“Other allergic illnesses included anaphylaxis, atopic dermatitis and other unspecified allergies.

“Our study captured the burden of severe and potentially life-threatening cases that necessitate immediate medical attention, highlighting the acute impact of asthma and allergic diseases.

“And worryingly, we found that ED presentations for asthma and allergies increased over time.”

Australia is already considered the “allergy capital of the world,” with allergic diseases affecting about one in five people.

Experts warn this figure could rise by 70 per cent by 2050.

Despite this, research into allergic diseases in rural, regional, and remote communities remains limited - leaving critical gaps in understanding the scale of the issue and the unique factors at play in these areas.

Senior study author Associate Professor Jennifer Koplin said the findings were unexpected.

“The higher rate of ED presentations related to allergic diseases was surprising given allergic and atopic diseases have not been traditionally recognised as an important concern among Indigenous Australians,” Dr Koplin said.

“It’s important for further research to understand the impact of allergic disease among Indigenous Australians and to explore the causes of these differences and strategies to address them.”
Dr Koplin also said the factors which were causing the high allergy rates were unknown, but may be environmental.
“We don’t know exactly what the environmental factors are that are contributing to (high allergy rates),” she said.

“We don’t know what’s contributing to it, but we do know that we have a lot of all sorts of allergic disease - we have a lot of eczema, a lot of allergic rhinitis, a lot of asthma and a lot of food allergies.”
“There’s something that seems to be increasing the risk of all those types of allergic disease.”
Dr Koplin said anaphylaxis was the most concerning issue.
“(Anaphylaxis) is the thing that we’re most worried about in terms of allergic reactions.”
“That’s a life-threatening allergic reaction and in rare cases, it is fatal.”
The study was backed by the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, with findings published in BMJ Open.

Originally published as Study finds Indigenous Australians more likely to be hospitalised for allergies