Anti-inflammatory drugs in asthma therapy

Abstract
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease. Pharmacologic management of asthma comprises long-term treatment to suppress the airway inflammation and quick-relief treatment to provide prompt reversal of acute bronchoconstriction and its accompanying symptoms. Anti-inflammatory agents are of crucial importance in asthma therapy. The most potent and effective medications used for long-term treatment of asthma are inhaled corticosteroids. Other medications, like: cromones, leukotriene antagonists and theophylline also show, but much less, anti-inflammatory activity. They can be used alternatively to inhaled corticosteroids in patients with mild persistent asthma but they are less effective. The add-on therapy with those medications should be considered if asthma control is not achieved with initial inhaled corticosteroid therapy. The combination treatment with long-acting β₂-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids has become the treatment of choice for the majority of asthmatic patients and nowadays constitutes the new ”gold standard” of asthma therapy.