A Review of Guidelines and Pharmacologic Options for Asthma Treatment, with a Focus on Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction

Asthma affects millions of individuals worldwide. Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is common in patients diagnosed with asthma, but may also occur in patients without chronic asthma. Patients with isolated exercise-induced bronchoconstriction may require pretreatment with inhaled short-acting β-agonists prior to exercise. Patients diagnosed with asthma can achieve good control of the symptoms of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction with appropriate treatment of underlying chronic asthma. Current guidelines suggest staging patients with asthma based on severity of symptoms and initiating therapy according to their stage. Pharmacotherapy for asthma management consists of both quick-relief medications (short-acting β-agonists) as well as maintenance, or long-term control, medications (inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting β-agonists, leukotriene receptor antagonists, cromolyn, and theophylline).