Most children have mild to moderate problems, and their illness can be controlled by treatment at home or in the doctor's office. For some children the illness becomes a formidable problem causing numerous visits to the hospital emergency room and multiple hospitalizations. Asthma accounts for 10 million lost school days annually. It is the leading cause of school absenteeism attributed to chronic conditions. Asthma is the number one cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15 and it is the first-ranking chronic condition.
Asthma accounts for one in six of all pediatric emergency visits in the United States.
An asthma episode is a series of events that result in narrowed airways. Asthma medications help reduce underlying inflammation in the airways and relieve or prevent symptomatic airway narrowing. Control of inflammation should lead to reduction in airway sensitivity and help prevent airway obstruction. Anti-inflammatory drugs interrupt the development of bronchial inflammation and have a preventive action. They may also modify or terminate ongoing inflammatory reactions in the airways.