How is asthma treated?

Asthma causes sensitive, narrowed airways that can lead to cough, wheezing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath. A reliever inhaler can ease airway narrowing during symptoms, while a preventer inhaler reduces inflammation when used regularly. Your clinician may check inhaler technique, breathing patterns, triggers, and how often symptoms disturb sleep or activity. Spirometry can support assessment, and allergy testing may be useful when an allergic trigger is suspected.

Use the inhaler exactly as prescribed and have your technique checked, because poor technique can leave medicine in the mouth instead of the airways. Keep an up-to-date written action plan, know when to increase treatment, and attend chronic disease reviews. Reduce exposure to your personal triggers, such as smoke, dust, infections, exercise, or allergens, while keeping active within your plan. A spacer may help some people use a metered-dose inhaler more effectively.

Seek urgent help if breathing is rapidly worsening, speaking is difficult, the reliever is not helping, lips look blue or grey, or you feel exhausted, confused, or faint. Emergency teams may give oxygen, inhaled medicine, steroids, or nebuliser treatment. Do not wait for a routine appointment during a severe attack.

Ask which inhaler is the reliever and which is the preventer, how many doses to use, how to clean a spacer, and what your action-plan thresholds are. Ask whether spirometry, allergy testing, or a treatment review is needed if symptoms remain troublesome.