Traditional and new approaches to asthma monitoring

Once the diagnosis of asthma is established, monitoring must be implemented to achieve asthma control. Because of the variability of asthma, monitoring is a long-term commitment to effectively adjust treatment and assure that therapy goals are met. This paper reviews the definition of asthma control, including the dimensions of impairment and risk, and the 2007 National Asthma Education and Prevention Program's Expert Panel Report 3, Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma, recommendations for periodic assessment and monitoring of effective control. New approaches to asthma monitoring, such as airway hyperresponsiveness, sputum eosinophils, exhaled nitric oxide, and pharmacogenetic measurements, will be critiqued.