Srinagar, May 19: Doctors have called for a major shift in asthma management practices in India, warning that excessive reliance on reliever inhalers without addressing underlying airway inflammation is leading to poor disease control and worsening health outcomes.
Medical experts said asthma should not be treated merely as an episodic illness, as persistent inflammation in the airways can continue silently even when symptoms are not visible.
“Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition and if it is not controlled early, persistent airway inflammation can continue silently between symptom episodes, increasing the risk of frequent flare-ups, sudden severe attacks and emergency hospitalisations,” said Dr. Khurshid Ahmad Dar.
He added that poorly controlled asthma may eventually lead to structural changes in the airways, progressively reducing lung function and making the disease more difficult to manage over time.
Doctors cautioned that while reliever inhalers offer temporary relief during breathing difficulties, they do not treat the root cause of asthma — inflammation in the airways.
“Frequent dependence on reliever inhalers indicates poor asthma control. The focus needs to shift towards long-term management through controller inhalers, adherence to prescribed treatment and regular medical check-ups,” said Dr. Mohd. Yousuf Dar.
Experts recommended regular use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), commonly known as controller or anti-inflammatory inhalers, to reduce airway inflammation and maintain long-term asthma control.
According to doctors, short-acting beta-agonists (SABA), commonly used as reliever inhalers, only relax airway muscles temporarily during an asthma episode and should not be the sole mode of treatment.
Asthma affects nearly 35 million people in India. However, experts pointed out that almost 90 per cent of patients requiring ICS-based treatment are either not receiving or not using it adequately, citing findings published in the medical journal Lung India.
The doctors also referred to the latest recommendations issued by the Global Initiative for Asthma, which advocate moving away from reliever-only treatment towards ICS-based therapy for improved asthma control and reduced risk of severe attacks.
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