Inhaled Corticosteroids

Excerpt

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the FDA-indicated treatment of choice in preventing asthma exacerbation in patients with persistent asthma. Persistent asthma is classified by symptoms more than two days a week, more than three nighttime awakenings per month, more than twice a week using short-acting beta-2 agonists for symptom control, or any limitation of normal activity due to asthma. Regular use of these medications reduces the frequency of asthma symptoms, bronchial hyper-responsiveness, risk of serious exacerbation, and improves the quality of life. This activity describes the mode of action of inhaled corticosteroids, including mechanism of action, pharmacology, adverse event profiles, eligible patient populations, monitoring, and highlights the role of the interprofessional team in the management of these patients.