Strategies in managing asthma

The management of adult asthma involves a concerted effort to identify and remove or mollify inciting or triggering stimuli such as respiratory tract infections, gastric reflux, aspirin, beta-antagonists, and environmental agents; educate patients, using written treatment plans and pulmonary function monitoring; and properly use the antiasthmatic medications including beta-agonists, theophylline, anticholinergics, and corticosteroids, with an emphasis on aerosol delivery and the use of corticosteroids during exacerbations. This strategy is summarized with suggestions on therapy in emergency departments, during the transition from hospital to ambulatory care, before exercise, and during pregnancy.