Medications for asthma
Synthetic versions of hormones produced in the adrenal glands, corticosteroids are the most powerful anti-inflammatory drugs currently available to treat asthma. In inhaled form, they are used exclusively for long-term control; They are not very effective for acute symptoms. Systemic corticosteroids taken orally as pills or in liquid, or injected, are sometimes valuable for quickly controlling asthma when a child begins long-term asthma therapy. Inhaled corticosteroids are preferred agents and recommended as the first-line treatment of chronic asthma by several panels of asthma experts that publish guidelines on the correct treatment of asthma. They are available in different forms and different dosage forms, which makes them convenient for patients to take, such as in aerosol in a metered-dose inhaler (MDI), a dry powder inhaler (dry powder inhaler, DPI). ) and in liquid form that can be used in a nebulizer for young children.
Leukotriene modifiers
These compounds act by reducing the effects of an inflammatory chemical made by the body known as leukotrienes. The 2 leukotriene modifiers that are currently in use, montelukast and zafirlukast, are used as control drugs. They only have mild to moderate beneficial effects at best, but they are very safe. These are taken in the form of pills; There are chewable or sprinkle shapes for small children.
Beta2-long-acting agonists
Medications in the beta2-agonist class work by relaxing the muscles that wrap around the bronchi of the lungs and tend to press down and narrow the airways of people with asthma. The fast-acting forms of beta2-agonists, such as albuterol, are used as first-line agents to relieve asthma in patients who suffer from it. The long-acting versions of the beta2-agonists were made by making some chemical changes to the fast-acting beta2-agonists. These long-acting beta2-agonists are almost always prescribed along with anti-inflammatory drugs for long-term control, they are rarely prescribed alone. These are usually added when a conventional dose of an inhaled steroid is not suitable for the control of daily symptoms.
There is evidence that few patients experience the loss of effects of fast-acting bronchodilators (eg, albuterol, levalbuterol) when taking long-acting bronchodilators. While it is quite uncommon, patients should know about this possibility and should be advised to notify their doctor if the addition of a long-acting bronchodilator is associated with an increase in symptoms rather than the usual benefit.
Theophylline
Theophylline, usually taken orally as a controlled-release pill, opens the airways for a prolonged period. It can be used alone or together with inhaled corticosteroids. It can be particularly useful in preventing nighttime symptoms of mild to moderate asthma. Although widely used, theophylline is currently prescribed very little for asthma, mainly because it requires careful control of blood levels to avoid side effects and because other asthma medications often work well or better.
Sodium cromolyn and nedocromil
These are mildly effective anti-inflammatory medications and are rarely used at present for the long-term therapy of mild to moderate asthma in children.
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