title: Adult Asthma Consensus Guidelines update 2003.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several sets of Canadian guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma have been published over the past 15 years. Since the last revision of the 1999 Canadian Asthma Consensus Report, important new studies have highlighted the need to incorporate new information into the asthma guidelines.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review the literature on adult asthma management published between January 2000 and June 2003; to evaluate the influence of the new evidence on the recommendations made in the 1999 Canadian Asthma Consensus Guidelines and its 2001 update; and to report new recommendations on adult asthma management.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three specific topics for which new evidence affected the previous recommendations were selected for review: initial treatment of asthma, add-on therapies in the treatment of asthma and asthma education. The resultant reviews were discussed in June 2003 at a meeting under the auspices of the Canadian Thoracic Society, and recommendations for adult asthma management were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The present report emphasises the importance of the early introduction of inhaled corticosteroids in symptomatic patients with mild asthma; stresses the benefit of adding additional therapy, preferably long-acting beta2-agonists, to patients incompletely controlled on low doses of inhaled corticosteroids; and documents the essential role of asthma education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present report generally supports many of the previous recommendations published in the 1999 Canadian Asthma Consensus Report and provides higher levels of evidence for a number of those recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec. C-Lemiere@crhsc.umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lemière
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Meyer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balter
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bayliff
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Louis-Philippe
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Boulet
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bowie
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cartier
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cave
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cowie
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coyle
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cockcroft
authors.forename: Francine M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Ducharme
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.forename: Shelagh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Finlayson
authors.forename: J Mark
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: FitzGerald
authors.forename: Frederick E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Hargreave
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hogg
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Cheryle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kelm
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Byrne
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sears
authors.forename: Andrea White
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Markham
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002170:Canada; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D006801:Humans; D020024:Leukotriene Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010353:Patient Education as Topic
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D020024:Leukotriene Antagonists