Asthma in Five Minutes
Asthma: the whole thing in five minutes, for when you want the numbers and nothing else.
A long-term condition in which airways are inflamed and narrow in response to triggers.
Key takeaways
- Reliever inhaler: short-acting bronchodilator, works in minutes
- Preventer inhaler: inhaled corticosteroid, taken regularly regardless of symptoms
- Most useful single change: Take the preventer every day, even when you feel well.
- Commonest mistake: Relying on the reliever while skipping the preventer.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Reliever inhaler | short-acting bronchodilator, works in minutes |
| Preventer inhaler | inhaled corticosteroid, taken regularly regardless of symptoms |
| Marker of poor control | needing a reliever 3 or more times a week |
| Everyone should have | a written personalised asthma action plan |
| Review | at least annually, and after any attack |
In one paragraph
Good control means essentially no symptoms, and the commonest dangerous pattern is relying on the reliever while skipping the preventer.
Worth doing
- Take the preventer every day, even when you feel well
- Have your inhaler technique checked at every review
- Use a spacer with a metered dose inhaler
- Get an action plan and an annual review
Worth avoiding
- Relying on the reliever while skipping the preventer
- Ignoring increasing reliever use
- NSAIDs and beta blockers if they trigger your asthma
Where to go next
- The Asthma Checklist: What to Do and What to Skip
- Popular Beliefs About Asthma, and What Is Actually Published
- Asthma — the reference entry
- What the Guidance Really Says About COPD
- What the Guidance Really Says About Breathlessness
When to speak to a doctor
Call 999 if the reliever is not helping, if you are too breathless to speak in full sentences, if your lips or fingers look blue, or if you are struggling to breathe. Contact a GP urgently for increasing reliever use, night waking, or a falling peak flow. Always seek review after an attack, even if you recovered.
Where this comes from
- NICE — Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and management
- Asthma + Lung UK — inhalers and action plans
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
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