[Treatment of adult asthma]

Asthma treatment should be conducted in three successive steps: identify and reduce exposure to risk factors, determine whether the patient requires a permanent controller medication which should be adapted to its asthma severity and education of the patient who should acquire a minimum knowledge on his disease. Controller medications mostly involve inhaled medications because they are delivered in the airways where they are needed and they reduce their systemic effects. Controller medications are dominated by inhaled corticosteroids either alone or in association with inhaled beta-2 sympathomimetics. The main objective is to achieve and to maintain asthma control. Asthma control is assessed using six items which determine whether asthma is controlled, partially controlled or uncontrolled. Guidelines allow to adapt the intensity of anti-inflammatory controller medication (mostly inhaled corticosteroids) given alone or in association with inhaled beta-2 sympathomimetics to asthma control and taking into account the treatment steps of the patient at the time of evaluation. Severe asthma could justify exceptional treatments (such as omalizumab) which indications are the domain of specialists.