Asthma Medications

Excerpt

Asthma is a wide-reaching, chronic inflammatory illness that impacts millions of people daily. It is frequently responsible for unscheduled healthcare usage, missed school, and workdays. It is an inappropriate immune response, much like an environmental allergy, to a triggering factor that induces bronchial hyperreactivity constriction with the remodeling of smooth muscle and increased mucous secretion into the airways. Several classifications of medications are utilized to treat and manage chronic asthma to improve symptoms and reduce exacerbations. These include beta-2 agonists, anticholinergics, low-dose inhaled corticosteroids, medium-dose inhaled corticosteroids, high-dose inhaled corticosteroids, inhaled long-acting beta-agonists, leukotriene receptor antagonists, theophylline, cromolyn, zileuton, and newer class monoclonal antibody immune-modulating drugs. Oral corticosteroids may be used in an acute setting of asthma exacerbations.