ぜんそくの治療で大切なこと

Bronchial asthma is a chronic airway disease characterized by allergic inflammation. Inhaled corticosteroids are most effective drugs to control asthma. According to an increase in inhaled corticosteroids usage, asthma mortality in Japan decreased over ２ decades.
Asthma is characterized by variable symptoms such as dyspnea, cough, wheezes, and chest tightness. Airway inflammation that leads to airway hyperresponsiveness is associated with these symptoms.
Diagnosis of asthma is based on the following factors （１） repetitive symptoms, such as paroxysmal dyspnea, wheezing, chest tightness, and cough ; （２） reversible airflow limitation ; （３） airway hyperresponsiveness ; and （６） exclusion of other cardiopulmonary diseases.（４）An atopic state and （５） airway inflammation, which are usually indicative of eosinophilia, supports a diagnosis of asthma. Diagnosing mild asthma in the absence of either wheezes or dyspnea can be difficult.
Anti-asthmatic agents consist of two types of drugs, long-term controller agents and reliever agents. Although inhaled corticosteroids is a key drug of long-term controller, but poor adherence to treatment or incorrect inhalation technique leads to poor asthma control. Therefore patient education and instruction of inhalation technique are most important for asthma treatment.