Asthma

Course overview

It is not clear why some people get asthma and others do not. Asthma symptoms may be caused by a combination of environmental factors, and may include genetic or other risk factors. Asthma prevention and long-term control are key in stopping asthma attacks before they start. Treatment usually involves learning to recognize triggers, taking steps to avoid them and tracking breathing to make sure daily asthma medications are keeping symptoms under control. The successful management of asthma involves routine monitoring of symptoms and lung function, patient education and engagement, controlling environmental triggering factors and comorbid conditions that contribute to asthma severity, and pharmacologic therapy. Newer asthma guidelines specifically focus on people with intermittent, preventable asthma attacks, but severe enough to lead to hospitalization and emergency interventions. The step-wise approach to asthma treatment focuses on intermittent, mild persistent, moderate persistent, and severe persistent asthma with algorithms focused on quick relief therapy and long-term preventive therapy for each group category.