Safety and efficacy of beta agonists.

Both short-acting and long-acting beta agonists have been used for many years for the treatment of asthma. Short-acting beta agonists are life-saving and their role as rescue agents is unquestioned, but regular use is not recommended because of safety concerns and the effectiveness of asthma-controller medications. Long-acting beta agonists are effective controller medications but have safety issues, so their use should be restricted to patients who are not optimally controlled on first-line controllers such as inhaled corticosteroids. The effect of the beta receptor genotype on beta agonist response is unclear but could hold promise for proper patient management.