Out-patient management of bronchial asthma.

Asthma, seen primarily as an inflammatory disease with secondary airway hyper-responsiveness, causes symptoms through contraction of the airway's smooth muscles. The management of chronic asthma relies on bronchodilators for symptomatic relief of bronchospasm, while primary therapy is used to either prevent or reverse the inflammatory component of the disease. Anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies include environmental control (where relevant), sodium cromoglycate (where appropriate), and both inhaled and oral glucocorticosteroids. Management of acute severe asthma is similar; bronchodilators are used to "buy time" while systemic corticosteroids control the inflammatory process.