Office-based management of asthma in adults

Asthma is a systemic inflammatory disease manifested most often as episodic dyspnea with wheeze or cough. It is the pulmonary manifestation of an immunoregulatory imbalance that involves the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines into the airway by either IgE-mediated or other poorly understood immunologic mechanisms. Efforts are currently underway to identify asthma susceptibility genes that will allow office-based internists of the future to determine a genetic risk profile to identify asthma susceptibility and risk factors before it occurs. Present therapies allow management of the great majority of adults with asthma such that these patients can have normal lifestyles.