Treatments for asthma

Today, medications allow close to 95% of asthmas to be kept under control. In the UK, however, only a million sufferers receive treatment and just 40% take it correctly. 

For bronchoconstriction, medications that dilate the bronchi are effective: these are short-acting bronchodilators, and are most frequently administered via an inhaler (available in injectable form in very rare cases).

Background treatment consists of treating the oedema of the walls of the bronchi, to reduce or prevent symptoms and inhibit the worsening of respiratory function over time. It consists of inhaling corticosteroids every day. These medications can take some time to take effect, with it sometimes taking several weeks for them to be active. It is therefore important to wait a couple of weeks before judging the effectiveness of the treatment.