Asthma may be one of the most misunderstood disorders in medicine. If you have asthma, you have probably heard at one point or another that it developed because of excess stress or some kind of psychological weakness. Perhaps one of your neighbors has recommended a special diet, while another warns against eating certain foods. Or maybe you think that you should treat your asthma only when you experience a flare-up of symptoms.

Advances in treatment make simple pleasures, like having a dog, possible for people with asthma.

This report is intended to correct such common misperceptions by providing the facts about asthma and advice about how best to manage it. For starters, asthma is not just a childhood condition. Many adults have lived with asthma for years; others have been only recently diagnosed. This report is geared specifically to the often neglected adult asthma community. If you have had asthma since childhood, the advances in medical understanding and treatment of this disorder may surprise you and inspire you to make adjustments in your care. And if you have been only recently diagnosed, or are trying to manage asthma in addition to other medical conditions such as heart disease, this report will provide practical advice and suggestions.

There is a lot of good news to share. For starters, many newer treatments become available since the 1990s, including selective and long-acting bronchodilators and biological therapies such as anti-IgE antibodies and leukotriene blockers. Because of the tremendous progress in understanding and treating asthma, most people with asthma can now expect to achieve good control of this disorder and live fully functional lives.

In this report, you will learn what asthma is, read about developments in treatment, and discover simple steps you can take to reduce exposure to asthma triggers. You will learn how to plan in advance for an asthma attack so that you remain safe and healthy. You’ll also have an opportunity to consider how to control your asthma in different real-life scenarios, so that you feel prepared for almost any situation. Armed with the knowledge and skills outlined in this report, you will become asthma smart — and as healthy as possible.