Henry Ford Health System issued the following announcement on Jan. 6.
Newly released guidelines from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for managing and treating asthma will empower patients with mild or moderate asthma more flexibility in using inhalers for optimal effectiveness, said co-author Daniel Ouellette, M.D., a Henry Ford Health System pulmonologist and critical care medicine physician.
It is the first time the guidelines have been updated in more than a decade.
Dr. Ouellette said one of the most significant changes in the guidelines allow patients to tailor their medication to the onset of their symptoms rather than follow a regularly structured medication schedule. It will also reduce patients’ exposure to the side effects of their medication.
“The new strategy involves a more flexible approach on the side of patients,” he said. “Instead of rigidly being prescribed inhaled controlling medicines on a daily basis and a standard dose, patients are being empowered to use their medications more on an as-needed basis so they can have targeted therapy when they need it. This has actually been shown to be an effective approach to treatment and will change the way physicians manage their patients.”
Published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology last month, the new guidelines are the first updates to asthma management by the NIH since 2007. Dr. Ouellette was part of an expert panel charged with developing the new protocols based on a review of the latest scientific literature.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Henry Ford Health System
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