Managing Asthma in Youth

The goal for therapy is to control asthma by (Evidence A):
— Reducing impairment
♦ Prevent chronic and troublesome symptoms (e.g., coughing or breathlessness in the daytime, in the night, or after exertion)
♦ Require infrequent use (≤2 days a week) of SABA for quick relief of symptoms
♦ Maintain (near) normal pulmonary function
♦ Maintain normal activity levels (including exercise and other physical activity and attendance at work or school)
♦ Meet patients' and families' expectations of and satisfaction with asthma care
— Reducing risk
♦ Prevent recurrent exacerbations of asthma and minimize the need for ED visits or hospitalizations
♦ Prevent progressive loss of lung function; for youths, prevent reduced lung growth
♦ Provide optimal pharmacotherapy with minimal or no adverse effects