« Asthme : prévention et traitement des exacerbations »

Existing asthma treatment guidelines emphasize the importance of management of exacerbations. Different profiles of exacerbations can be classified according to the severity and to their slow or rapid onset. Recognition on an individual basis of the patient's signs and symptoms will help further management. Evidence based medicine data underline the role of tailored written action plans based on symptoms and/or on peak expiratory flow measurements for better overall therapeutic management. There are still questions concerning the details of the planning, especially with respect to the dose of inhaled steroids; this needs further evaluation. Finally, written action plans for treatment of exacerbations must evolve, taking into account new long-term treatment options.