Asthma Treatments
The treatment of asthma has changed dramatically in the past 15 years or so. A 1982 article copyrighted by Chest a Journal for the American College of Chest Physicians described Asthma as resulting from "variable and often sudden changes in airway smooth muscle tone". It was mainly thought of as a reversible airway disease.
In 1991 that began to change with the 1991 Expert Panel Report: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. Asthma was redefined to be a chronic disease and treatment of this disease was centered around four main tenants.
1. The accurate measure of lung function to determine the severity of the disease and to monitor it's course
2. Environmental controls to avoid or eliminate what triggers asthma symptoms or exacerbation. Some of these triggers include
- Allergen exposure
- Tobacco smoke
- Outdoor and indoor air pollution
- For older asthmatics - occupational exposures
3. Use of medicines to control the inflammation associated with asthma as well as medicines to manage asthma attacks. Learn more about some of these medicines here.
4. Patient education.
Source -
- http:www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/abstract/81/2/224
- http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/asthgdln.pdf
- AAE National Asthma Educator Certification Review Course Syllabus
Learn More
- Asthma Risk Factors
- Asthma Triggers
- Causes of Asthma
- How Asthma Affects Children
- ASthma Guidelines
- Treatments for Asthma
- The Parts of the Lungs
- What happens during an asthma attack
- Why the lungs act the way they do during an asthma attack
Submissions, Critiques, Edits, and New Information Welcome
Last Updated 11/30/2008 7:49:19 PM
