Adult Asthma

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Adult Asthma

It used to be that having asthma meant choosing between breathing problems and side effects of asthma medicine. But today's asthma treatments have freed people from that choice. You can now breathe easier thanks to highly effective medications with few or no side effects. For people with more than occasional, mild symptoms, today's standard of care calls for consistent, daily use of asthma medications even when you feel well. And with the help of updated asthma guidelines, described in this report, you and your doctor can choose the most effective drugs and dosages to control your asthma while keeping your medication levels as low as possible.

This report provides facts about adult asthma and advice about how best to manage it. For starters, asthma is not just a childhood condition. Many adults have lived with asthma for years; others have been diagnosed only recently. This report is geared specifically to the often neglected adult asthma community. If you have had asthma since childhood, the advances in medical understanding and treatment of this disorder may surprise you and inspire you to make adjustments in your care. And if you have been only recently diagnosed or are trying to manage asthma in addition to other medical conditions, such as heart disease, this report provides practical advice and suggestions.

There is a lot of good news to share. Many treatments have become available since the 1990s, including selective and long-acting bronchodilators, leukotriene modifiers, and biological therapies such as monoclonal antibodies. Because of the tremendous progress in understanding and treating asthma, most people with asthma can now expect to achieve good control of this disorder and live fully functional lives. While millions of Americans live with asthma, the death rate from asthma is declining in the United States, an indication that more Americans are managing their disease well.

In this report, you will learn what asthma is, read about developments in treatment, and discover simple steps you can take to reduce exposure to asthma triggers. You will learn how to plan in advance for an asthma attack so that you remain safe and healthy. You'll also have an opportunity to consider how to control your asthma in different real-life scenarios, so that you feel prepared for almost any situation. Armed with the knowledge and skills outlined in this report, you will become asthma smart — and as healthy as possible.

Last updated:	September 27, 2007