It includes patient education to develop a partnership in management, assessing and monitoring severity, avoiding or controlling asthma triggers, establishing plans for medication and management of exacerbations, and regular followup care. The most important of these factors are allergens and chemical sensitizers. These factors include smoking, viral infections, small size at birth, and environmental pollutants. Anti-inflammatory agents, particularly inhaled corticosteroids, are at present the most effective controller medications. Controller medications are also sometimes called prophylactic, preventive, regular preventive, or maintenance medications.
Onset can be acute and sudden, or gradual over several days.
A correlation between symptoms and peak flow is not necessarily found. Among these are physicians, nurses, and doctors. The health care professional provides the patient and the patient's family with suitable information and training so that the patient can stay well and adjust treatment according to a medication plan developed with the health care professional. Effective patient education involves a partnership between patient and health care professional with frequent revision and reinforcement. Training includes teaching specific asthma management skills such as how to take medicine correctly, how to recognize when asthma gets worse, and what actions to take to achieve and maintain control.