[Therapeutic management of asthma]

Therapeutic management of asthma is based on the key role of lower airway inflammation. New treatments and inhalation devices in conjunction with international recommendations have contributed to improve asthma management. The aim of asthma treatment is to avoid acute asthma and to reduce or suppress symptoms, to permit normal life (familial, scholar or professional) and to normalize lung function. The final goal is to improve patient quality of life and must also integrate the benefice/risk ratio of treatment. Asthmatic patients need to be regularly followed by a physician. Recently, French Anaes recommendations suggested to base the medical follow up on asthma control checking. Beside treatment of chronic asthma, acute asthma remains a potential emergency that needs to be rapidly identified and treated, following strict rules of clinical management.