Current Asthma Treatment Guidelines

People having asthma, can experience some common symptoms like wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest or a persistent cough especially late at night or early in the morning, though some other ailments can also be found with similar symptoms. In asthma attack, the breathing problems are the result of an inflamed and swollen air passage lining, produce thick mucus that clog the airways.

The airway muscles go into spasm, narrowing the air passage, when irritated by triggers such as smoke, cold air, air pollution, animal dander, pollen etc. When asthma attack gets worse, inflamed air passage becomes increasingly constricted, making it difficult to breathe. While there is yet no cure for asthma attack, this problem can be controlled with an accurate diagnosis, the right treatment and ongoing monitoring by the patient and the physician. Asthma can be diagnosed by the general physician, or by an asthma specialist such as an allergist. The significant thing is that the symptoms of asthma must be recognized early and dealt with effectively. The longer this will be delayed, the more permanent may be the damage to the lungs. As the symptoms of asthma differ widely from patient to patient, it is essential that the doctor determines the severity of asthma to develop the best plan to treat it.

The new guidelines to classify asthma attack into four categories, such as mild intermittent, mild persistent, moderate persistent and severe persistent. An aggressive treatment must be taken once asthma is diagnosed to gain quick control over the disease. Depending on the severity of the breathing problem, the doctor would develop a treatment plan to end the symptoms and enable the patient to lead a normal lifestyle. Preventive measures and environmental control should be the first consideration in an overall treatment plan.

Immunotherapy can be helpful when asthma symptoms occur year-round or during a majority of the year, or when it is difficult to control symptoms with modern medication or other alternative treatments. Asthma medications also play a vital role in effective asthma therapy. Irrespective of the severity of the condition, a quick-relief medication such as anticholinergics and short-acting beta2-agonists must be readily available for treatment of acute symptoms of the disease. If the intensity of the situation is more than mild and intermittent, a preventive controller anti-inflammatory medication such as antileukotrienes, methylxanthines, cromolyn sodium and beta2-agonists should be used on a regular basis.

Regular visits to the clinic to monitor the asthmatic condition can effectively help the sufferer to meet the treatment goals as the doctor will review the asthma symptoms, activities, peak flow records and medications. Close monitoring of the condition of a sufferer can actually help the doctor to determine if any changes in the treatment are necessary. The present asthma treatment guidelines recommend a stepwise approach to using the modern medications with the type and amount determined by the initial assessment of the severity of the condition. Also the new asthma guidelines recommend that the sufferer see an asthma specialist when there is difficulty in achieving or maintaining control of the asthma by their own. Also the doctor and the patient must always work in partnership to meet the goals of asthma relief.

• John Palsson
• 17/12/2008, 10:59 PM
• 0 Comments