What is new in the management of childhood asthma?

The prevalence of asthma has increased in developed countries. The efficacy of available drugs in those with severe persistent disease is limited. This has led to a renewed search for the reasons for failures of the existing treatment and for novel concepts. Treatment with inhaled corticosteroids, and to a much lesser extent theophylline, can reduce the survival of inflammatory cells including esinophils. Emerging trends in treatments for asthma could include strategies to alter the cytokine/chemokine balance. It is evident that the current ICS are already very efficient and safe, it will be difficult to introduce further improved formulations. Perhaps the most fruitful effort shall be in developing patient friendly easy to use targeted delivery systems. The newer therapies are planned for the several upstream targets and may have potential to prevent the disease. Various potential therapies are being worked upon like-targeting prevention of T cell activation, modulation of Th-1/Th-2 differentiation, inhibition of Th-2 related cytokines, Th-1/Th-2 modulation, inhibition of downstream mediators etc. The new strategy shall perhaps lie with matching the patients and their disease with the most suitable therapy.