Assessment and treatment of asthma.

The objectives of treating asthma are to control symptoms by a minimum of medication, and to prevent severe attacks in the future. However, before these can be achieved the presence of asthma must be recognized, its severity determined, and the individual triggering factors identified. Full assessment is simple and practical: it involves history, measurement of airflow rates and allergy skin tests. Occasionally, if the diagnosis is not certain, trials of treatment and/or histamine (or methacholine) inhalation tests provide confirmation. Treatment involves not only avoidance or protection against triggering factors and trials of medication, but also patient education and modification of behavior to comply with treatment. For this the patient must have ready access to consistent medical advice to ensure and reinforce the correct response to asthmatic symptoms.