Treatment
General Approach for Treating and Managing Asthma
While medications play an essential role in the management of asthma, appropriate management of asthma involves much more:
- Identifying and avoiding allergens and other asthma triggers
- Following appropriate drug treatments
- Home monitoring performed by either patient or family
- Good communication between the doctor and patient
- Needed psychosocial support
- Treatment of asthma in all environments (school, work, exercise)
The severity of asthma is classified into four groups: Intermittent, Mild Persistent, Moderate Persistent, and Severe Persistent. Six specific components of severity are used to classify patients. These components are:
- Symptom frequency, ranging from fewer than 2 days per week to throughout the day
- Nighttime awakenings, ranging from none to nightly
- Short-acting beta2-agonist use for symptom control, ranging from 2 or fewer days per week to several times per day
- Interference with normal activity, ranging from none to extremely limited
- Lung function as measured by FEV1 and FEV1/FVC, measured with pulmonary function testing at the doctor's office
- Number of exacerbations (sudden worsening) requiring oral corticosteroids, ranging from none to two or more in the last 6 months
Treating Symptoms Versus Controlling the Disease
Patients can greatly reduce the frequency and severity of asthma attacks by understanding the difference between coping with asthma attacks and controlling the disease over time.
Medications for asthma fall into two categories:
Previous Section
Review Date: 05/03/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M.,
Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
