Fig. 1: Continuum of asthma management. Severity of asthma is ideally assessed by medication required to maintain asthma control. Environmental control and education should be instituted for all asthma patients. Very mild asthma is treated with short-acting β2-agonists, taken as needed. If β2-agonists are needed more than 3 times/week (excluding 1 dose/day before exercise), then inhaled glucocorticosteroids should be added at the minimum daily dose required to control the asthma. If asthma is not adequately controlled by moderate doses (500-1000 μg/d of beclomethasone or equivalent), additional therapy (including long-acting β2-agonists, leukotriene antagonists or, less often, other medications) should be considered. Severe asthma may require additional treatment with prednisone.