Choosing therapy for childhood asthma

Successful management of asthma requires a multifocal approach. Asthma is a breathing difficulty caused by airway constriction and lung inflammation, often stimulated by environmental factors. Drug treatment can include airway dilators and corticosteroids. Long-term use of steroids in children may result in slightly stunted growth, an effect which may reverse after treatment stops. Newer long-acting bronchodilators like salmeterol and formoterol may control asthma without retarding growth. Reducing allergic and environmental aggravators is an important part of asthma treatment.