Why Do I Have To Take Medicine When I Am Not Having An Asthma Attack?

Dr. Harold Nelson answers the question: 'Taking Medicine Without Asthma Attack?'

By
Harold Nelson, M.D., Professor of Medicine, National Jewish Medical and Research Center
August 12, 2008, 1:24 PM ET
1 min read

— -- Question: Why do I have to take medicine when I am not having an asthma attack?

Answer: The asthma attack is just the tip of the iceberg. The patient who has asthma has inflammation in their airway that's there all the time, and then when some trigger makes it worse, they become symptomatic. But in order to make them more tolerant of these triggers, it's important to take medicine continuously to keep the inflammation under control.

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