Disease: asthma
Question: for asthma, treatment?
Answer: To help treat asthma, the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP)
classifies the condition based on its severity before treatment.
Asthma classifications include:
Intermittent. Most people have this type of asthma, which doesn�t interfere with daily activities. Symptoms are mild, lasting fewer than 2 days per week or 2 nights per month.
Mild persistent. The symptoms occur more than twice a week � but not daily � and up to 4 nights per month.
Moderate persistent. The symptoms occur daily and at least 1 night every week, but not nightly. They may limit some daily activities.
Severe persistent. The symptoms occur several times every day and most nights. Daily activities are extremely limited.
Treatments for asthma fall into four primary categories:
quick relief medications
long-term control medications
a combination of quick relief and long-term control medications. The most current asthma clinical guidelines
, released in 2020 by the NAEPP, recommend this treatment. However this treatment is not yet approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
biologics, which are given by injection or infusion usually only for severe forms of asthma
Your doctor will recommend one treatment or a combination of treatments based on:
the type of asthma you have
your age
your triggers
Your treatment plan may also involve learning your triggers, monitoring your symptoms carefully, and taking steps to avoid flare-ups.
Quick-relief asthma treatments
These medications should only be used in the event of asthma symptoms or an attack. They provide quick relief to help you breathe again.
Bronchodilators
Bronchodilators work within minutes to relax the tightened muscles around your airwaves and decrease symptoms quickly.
Although they can be administered orally or injected, bronchodilators are most commonly taken with an inhaler (rescue) or nebulizer.
They can be used to treat sudden symptoms of asthma or taken before exercise to prevent a flare-up.
First aid asthma treatment
If you think that someone you know is having an asthma attack, tell them to sit them upright and assist them in using their rescue inhaler or nebulizer.
The dosage will vary depending on the medication. Check the instructions insert to make sure you know how many puffs of medications you need in the event of an attack.
If symptoms persist for more than 20 minutes, and a second round of medication doesn�t help, seek emergency medical attention.
If you frequently need to use quick-relief medications, ask your doctor about another type of medication for long-term asthma control.
Long-term asthma control medications
These medications are taken daily to help reduce the number and severity of your asthma symptoms, but they don�t manage the immediate symptoms of an attack.
Long-term asthma control medications include:
Anti-inflammatories. Taken with an inhaler, corticosteroids and other anti-inflammatory medications help reduce swelling and mucus production in your airways, making it easier to breathe.
Anticholinergics. These help stop your muscles from tightening around your airways. They�re usually taken daily in combination with anti-inflammatories.
Long-acting bronchodilators. These should only be used in combination with anti-inflammatory asthma medications.
Biologics
Doctors use biologics to treat severe asthma that doesn�t respond to other medications or to treatment by trigger control.
They work by targeting specific antibodies in your body. This disrupts the pathway that leads to asthma-causing inflammation.
There are five types of biologic medications on the market, and others in development. These medications need to be administered either by injection or by infusion in your doctor�s office.
Bronchial thermoplasty
This treatment uses an electrode to heat
the airways inside the lungs, helping to reduce the size of the surrounding muscle and prevent it from tightening.
This minimally invasive procedure is performed by a doctor in a clinic or hospital and usually takes around an hour.
Bronchial thermoplasty is intended for people with severe asthma and can provide relief from symptoms for up to 5 years
.
However, because it�s a relatively new procedure, it�s not yet widely available.