What are the treatment options for asthma?

Asthma causes sensitive, inflamed airways that can narrow and make breathing difficult. A clinician considers your symptoms, night waking, reliever use, examination and spirometry results. Inhaler therapy may include a preventer to reduce airway inflammation and a reliever for sudden symptoms; the exact medicine and strength depend on your needs. Allergy testing can be useful when an allergic trigger is suspected, but not every person with asthma has an allergy.

Use inhalers with the technique taught to you and keep a written asthma action plan. A chronic disease review can check symptom control, inhaler technique, side effects, vaccinations, trigger exposure and whether the plan needs adjustment. Avoid known triggers such as smoke, dust or exercise patterns only when they affect you, and do not stop a preventer because symptoms have settled without discussing it. Severe flare-ups may need oxygen, additional medicines or nebuliser treatment in an urgent-care setting.

Use your action plan and seek urgent help if breathing is rapidly worsening, you cannot speak comfortably, your reliever is not helping, your lips look blue, or you feel drowsy, confused or exhausted. Sit upright and avoid lying flat if that worsens breathing. Emergency assessment is needed when symptoms are severe or do not settle promptly, even if a previous attack felt similar.

Ask which inhaler is the preventer, how to check your technique, what your action-plan steps mean, when spirometry should be repeated, and whether allergy testing or a chronic disease review would help.