Asthma management. The case for aiming at control rather than merely relief

Asthma is a common and eminently treatable disease. Most asthma patients are initially seen by primary care physicians, who are likely to have a significant part in management. Research has provided physicians with a better understanding of the pathophysiologic basis of asthma and new antiasthma agents. Guidelines have been published to disseminate asthma management information. On the basis of these advances, there appears to be no reason that informed physicians cannot play an important role in reversing recent trends of rising asthma morbidity and mortality.