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Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, characterized by the occurrence of symptoms that vary in time and intensity, such as dyspnea, wheezing, chest tightness, and cough, as well as bronchial hyperreactivity. Due to inflammatory response of the airways, bronchial hyperreactivity and even bronchial obstruction may occur.1 Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases, occurring in approximately 10% of the child population and 5% of the adult population, and the trend is increasing.2 The goal of pharmacotherapy is to suppress asthmatic inflammation and decrease bronchial hyperreactivity and airway obstruction, as well as to achieve the best possible asthma control. Medications are divided into on-demand therapeutics for rapid symptomatic therapy (inhaled rapid-acting beta-2 sympathomimetics) and long-term therapeutics (inhaled corticosteroids, inhaled long-acting beta-2 sympathomimetics, montelukast). The goal of asthma therapy is to achieve or maintain a controlled asthma status.1

 

 

1 German Medical Association, National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, Association of the Scientific Medical Societies. National health care guideline on asthma – long version, 4th edition. Version 1. 2020 [cited: 2021-09-13]. DOI: 10.6101/AZQ/000469.  www.asthma.versorgungsleitlinien.de.
2 Studnicka, M., Baumgartner, B., Bolitschek, J. et al. Masterplan 2025 of the Austrian Society of Pneumology – the expected development and care of respiratory diseases in Austria. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2020;132:89-113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-020-01722-w