Management

• Initial treatment for newly diagnosed asthmatics:

  1. AIR therapy
  2. Low dose MART
  3. Moderate dose MART
  4. Measure FeNO or eosinophils - if raised consider a trial of either a leukotriene receptor antagonist, or a LAMA (in addition to moderate dose MART)
• Change treatment for people with confirmed asthma who are currently using a short-acting beta-2 agonist (SABA) only, to a low-dose ICS/formoterol combination inhaler to be taken as needed (as-needed AIR therapy).

  Do not prescribe a SABA to people of any age with asthma without a concomitant prescription of an ICS
• AIR therapy:

  • Anti-inflammatory reliever
  • Reliever inhaler that contains a combination of a low dose inhaled corticosteroid and formoterol (LABA)
• MART:

  • Maintenance and reliever therapy
  • Used daily for maintenance therapy and the relief of symptoms as needed
  • Single inhaler containing ICS and formoterol (LABA)