title: Management of asthma during pregnancy.
abstract: Asthma is estimated to affect up to 4% of pregnancies. Management of asthma during pregnancy follows the same approach as in the general population. Aggressive treatment should be entertained because asthma under poor control during pregnancy can lead to poor outcomes for the mother and child. The foundations of management are environmental avoidance procedures, proper pharmacologic agents, and specific allergen immunotherapy. For pregnant women with persistent asthma, the use of inhaled cromolyn or inhaled budesonide should be considered as first-line agents. Short-acting beta-agonists can be used as needed in all asthma categories. Other agents such as salmeterol, leukotriene modifiers, newer inhaled corticosteroids, and omalizumab may be considered in women who showed a good response to these agents before pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Blaiss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents