Strategies for the management of asthma

The aims of treating patients with asthma are to relieve symptoms, to prevent symptoms and exacerbations, and to prevent long-term deterioration in lung function. It is the role of medical practitioners to inform the patient what asthma is, and to develop a plan to achieve the aims for the individual, recognizing that asthma is frequently a chronic, lifelong disease. Most patients can be diagnosed, assessed for severity and causes, and treated in primary care practices, however, sometimes help from an asthma clinic of a specialist is required. The most important management decision is to determine whether the patient needs inhaled corticosteroids; subsequently, decisions about dose, duration and method of delivery of treatment can be tailored to the individual depending on the preferences and social conditions of the patient. The aim of this article is to present the latest strategies for the management of asthma and the simplest methods for their implementation. Important new strategies include careful assessment of the severity; immediate introduction of a plan that is tailored of the individual and aimed at the possible reversing of the disease; detailed instructions for management of exacerbations and the combined use of inhaled corticosteroids with a long-acting bronchodilator. It is becoming clear that these strategies obviate dependence on oral corticosteroids in newly diagnosed asthmatic patients. Furthermore, relatively low doses of inhaled corticosteroids can be used to maintain good control if used in conjunction with other therapies. The role of newly developed antagonists to leukotrienes is not yet known but it may well be useful in mild asthma and in special forms of the disease, such as those sensitive to aspirin. In the future, the most important strategy will be to prevent the disease.