New asthma guidelines emphasize control, regular monitoring

Updated asthma care guidelines have recently been released. This review will focus on several elements in the third Expert Panel Report (EPR3) guidelines that reflect substantial differences from recommendations of the second EPR (EPR2) guidelines, issued in 1997 and updated in 2002. A major difference is the emphasis on asthma control. Asthma control can be assessed serially by the use of validated instruments. The goal of asthma therapy is to achieve asthma control by reducing current impairment and future risk. Recommendations for asthma pharmacotherapy have also been revised since the release of the updated EPR2 guidelines. The revisions in asthma management proposed in these guidelines offer the potential for improved asthma care outcomes in the United States.