The experience of a severe asthma attack in a crowded shopping centre last spring left 21-year-old Mackenzie Sinclair struggling to breathe and terrified. The Geelong resident recalls travelling into Melbourne Central on a chilly day, not anticipating the severity of what was to come.
“I was walking a fair bit. Then I had a cold drink, which I think also set it off. I was pretty terrified. I didn’t think things would get that severe,” Sinclair recounted.
Fortunately, a security guard was close by. This quick-thinking individual guided Sinclair into a quieter store, away from the hustle and bustle, where staff and other shoppers administered Ventolin, a quick-relief asthma medication, while waiting for paramedics.
The ambulance transported Sinclair to hospital, where she spent several hours receiving nebuliser treatments and other medications before being discharged that same evening. The ordeal was so intense that she experienced multiple emergency calls within the hospital’s emergency department due to her rapid breathing and elevated heart rate.
Sinclair described the incident as a significant wake-up call. Since that terrifying day last year, she has become far more proactive about her health, paying closer attention to factors like hay fever, which she now recognises can exacerbate her asthma.
Her journey with asthma symptoms began in primary school, but at the time, they were often misattributed to anxiety or a lack of fitness. Her symptoms escalated significantly after puberty. A formal diagnosis of asthma wasn’t made by a GP until March 2025, following a recommendation from another health professional that she discuss her concerns during a routine check-up.
“That could have been why it was taken more seriously,” she reflected.
A Growing Concern: Asthma’s Disproportionate Impact on Australian Women
Mackenzie Sinclair’s experience is far from an isolated incident, with research highlighting a significant disparity in asthma prevalence and outcomes between genders in Australia. Astonishingly, one in five adult Australian women live with asthma, and women constitute 61 per cent of all adults diagnosed with the condition, according to the Australian Centre for Airways Disease Monitoring.
The trend becomes even more pronounced after puberty, with asthma becoming more common in females than males. This increased prevalence tragically translates to higher mortality rates, with twice as many women dying from asthma compared to men, as reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. In 2024 alone, 478 Australians lost their lives to asthma, with women making up a staggering 322 of those fatalities.
Beyond the statistics on prevalence and mortality, the psychological toll of asthma on women is also significant. More than half of Australian women living with asthma report experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress. Compounding this, only a third of these women have a written asthma action plan, a crucial tool for managing the condition effectively.
Understanding the Gender Gap in Asthma
Respiratory physician Professor Christine Jenkins shed light on the complex nature of asthma’s prevalence in different age groups and genders. She noted the higher incidence in boys during childhood, which reverses post-puberty, with women then experiencing greater prevalence.
“We don’t fully understand even how it is that boys no longer have such a high prevalence later on in adult life as they do in childhood,” Professor Jenkins stated. “That could help us to understand what we could do for women. [But] hormonal fluctuations are undoubtedly part of it.”
This suggests that hormonal changes play a crucial role in the development and severity of asthma in women, a factor that requires further investigation to inform better prevention and management strategies.
Advocating for Change: Integrating Asthma into Women’s Health Policy
Kate Miranda, Chief Executive of Asthma Australia, emphasised the urgent need to recognise asthma as a critical women’s health issue. She called for increased awareness campaigns and urged the government and medical bodies to ensure that General Practitioners (GPs) proactively discuss respiratory health with women during key life stages. Specifically, she recommended dedicated conversations during assessments for women aged 35-49 and again at age 75.
“We’ve got to better integrate asthma into women’s health policy. Asthma so disproportionately affects women,” Miranda asserted.
Federal Assistant Health Minister Rebecca White expressed her surprise upon learning about the disproportionate impact of asthma on women. “These aren’t commonly understood statistics,” she admitted. “It’s really quite shocking.”
Minister White acknowledged existing efforts to address gender bias in the healthcare system and the government’s focus on improving women’s access to healthcare. However, she conceded, “There’s always more work to do.”
A Renewed Purpose: From Patient to Advocate
More than six months after her harrowing experience in Melbourne Central, Mackenzie Sinclair is now pursuing a diploma of nursing in Geelong CBD. Her personal journey has instilled in her a profound motivation to provide patients with the best possible care and to advocate for those who may struggle to do so themselves.
“There’s nothing harder than not being able to advocate for yourself,” Sinclair concluded, underscoring the importance of patient empowerment and comprehensive healthcare support.
