Treatment of Chronic Asthma

Asthma is a medical condition of the respiratory system that brings about symptoms such as coughing, tightness in the chest, difficulty in breathing, wheezing etc. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that about 7.3 percent of adults and 9.4 percent of children suffered from asthma in 2008 in the US. Although, there is no cure for chronic asthma, there are a number of medications in the market that can help treat its symptoms. Here is a list of treatments that are prescribed to help fight the symptoms of chronic asthma.

Bronchodilators

A common type of drug prescribed for the treatment of chronic asthma is bronchodilator. A bronchodilator works to open the constriction of the airways, which is a major identifying element in the lungs of asthmatics. Short-acting bronchodilators open up the airways immediately during an asthma attack. A long-acting bronchodilator is used to keep the airways open over a long-term. They don’t work immediately upon use and therefore, cannot be used to treat an asthma attack that is already in progress.

Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids are a type of medication prescribed to treat chronic asthma. They act to reduce or treat the symptoms of asthma by treating the inflammation of the lungs that causes the swelling of the airways. Inhaling corticosteroids decreases the severity and number of asthma attacks if taken regularly. Furthermore, corticosteroids are prescribed along with other medications such as bronchodilators.

Leukotriene Inhibitors

A Leukotriene inhibitor is a type of treatment that is used to treat the symptoms of chronic asthma. These are proteins that are released during an allergic reaction that causes the inflammation and triggering of the asthmatic symptoms.

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