[Recent advance in inhaled corticosteroid therapy]

Inhaled corticosteroid therapy against bronchial asthma has developed rapidly and remarkably during last 10 years. The significance of this therapy has been established in a lot of international guidelines for asthma management. Early intervention, which developed from the concept of step-down therapy, is new therapeutic approach to prevent the remodeling of airway walls deemed as the major cause of irreversible airflow limitation which makes patient chronic and refractory asthmatics. It is comprehensive therapeutic approach which include not only early diagnosis, early intensive corticosteroid therapy, but also environment intervention and enough patient education. In addition to this new therapeutic strategy, we will describe about add-on effect of long-acting beta-2 agonists, theophylline, and leukotriene receptor antagonist.