Treatment of acute bronchospasm in urban populations

Many urban patients, including minority groups and children, continue to live in poor urban settings. Poor urban environments provide a complex mix of stressors that can exacerbate asthma and increase exacerbations. Although care is available, many minority patients have English language and communication barriers, facts that impede their access to providers and care facilities. Medications for asthma are available to these patients, and strategies to minimize stressors are in place, but implementation and delivery in an urban setting can be a problem. Asthma management strategies coupled with new formulations of asthma medications, such as levalbuterol, can significantly reduce asthma symptoms during acute bronchospasm. In addition to offering the optimal treatment for asthma, broader strategies for reducing minority disparities are required if significant inroads are to be made in addressing problems faced by urban patients.