Related Programs

Asthma in Adolescents: Dealing With New Challenges Treatment of Asthma in Children 5-12 Asthma in Kids Under 5 So You Want To Quit Smoking

Asthma Asthma Basics

Asthma 101

Summary & Participants

Asthma strikes a surprisingly large number of Americans. For some it is a nuisance, to others it can be serious. Listen to experts talk about the prevalence of asthma, and what people can do about it.

Medically Reviewed On: July 18, 2008

Webcast Transcript

JAMES KEMP, MD: It's sort of like if you're prone to bleeding, you want to have a band-aid around, you know? If you're prone to wheezing, you want to have something around. These are generally what we call bronchodilators.

NANCY OSTROM, MD: When the asthma is persistent, however, treatment is needed to control both the underlying cause, the inflammation in the lining of the airways as well as the constriction of the airways.

JAMES KEMP, MD: Asthma is like a disorder in the lung, like people who have arthritis have a disorder in their joints. Their joints get hot, swollen, you know, painful. Similar things are going on with asthma in the lungs. So we use anti-inflammatory medicines or controller therapies.

There are several different categories of those, but the most effective and the most potent are the inhaled corticosteroids

ANNOUNCER: For people with persistent asthma, age five and above, federal guidelines call for the daily use of inhaled corticosteroids.

There are 7 steroid inhalers approved for the treatment of asthma: Aerobid, Azmacort, Flovent Rotadisk, Flovent, Pulmicort Respules, Pulmicort Turbuhaler and Q-VAR. Doctors find patients are often alarmed, although unnecessarily, about the use of steroids.

NANCY OSTROM, MD: If I ever say the word "steroid" in my office, I use the word "corticosteroid." People are scared of the word "steroid" because there are muscle-building steroids that can have serious side effects.

ANNOUNCER: Steroids used to fight asthma are of a different type, with much milder side effects. And the steroids taken by inhalation to treat persistent asthma are considered very safe. Especially in low doses.

NANCY OSTROM, MD: The good news is that the vast majority of patients who require treatment with inhaled corticosteroids do not require very, very high doses. And therefore are in a low- to moderate-dose category, where the risks of side effects are actually very minimal and the risk of good effects significantly outweigh the risks of side effects.

ANNOUNCER: While incidents of asthma appear to be on the rise across the United States, doctors say they have medicine to keep most cases under good control.

That means less chance of a serious attack. And a good likelihood that patients can go about everyday activities, even athletics, without any disabling shortness of breath.

<< Previous Page 2 of 2