Kollam, 30 June, 2026: Asthma management in India continues to lean heavily towards symptomatic relief, leading to poor disease control and worsening of the condition. Doctor highlights the critical need to focus on early asthma control and a shift from only short-term relief measures to appropriate long-term management for better patient outcomes and quality of life.
Asthma is often treated as an episodic illness with patients reaching for their reliever inhalers as soon as symptoms such as shortness of breath or coughing arise. However, asthma is a chronic condition caused by inflammation in the airway.
“If asthma is not controlled early, persistent airway inflammation can continue silently even between symptom episodes, increasing the risk of frequent flare-ups, sudden severe attacks and emergency hospitalisations. Over time, poorly controlled asthma may also lead to structural changes in the airway that can progressively reduce lung function and make the disease harder to manage,” Dr. Athul Thulasi, Consultant Pulmonologist, Travancore Medical College Hospital, Kollam said.
To address this inflammation, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) treatment is recommended. Controller inhalers, or anti-inflammatory inhalers, should be used regularly to treat the underlying airway inflammation and help maintain long-term control, instead of relying only on reliever inhalers, particularly short-acting beta-agonists (SABA), that provide temporary relief by relaxing the airway muscles during an asthma episode.
Asthma affects around 35 million people in India. Almost 90% of patients who require ICS treatment, are not receiving or using it, according to a research report published in Lung India journal. This shows the gap in asthma management and the need to improve awareness around controller inhaler-based treatment.
“Reliever inhalers provide temporary relief but they do not treat the inflammation. If a patient needs to frequently use reliever inhalers, it indicates poor asthma control. The focus needs to shift to better long-term management of asthma with controller inhalers and adherence to prescribed treatment along with regular medical checkups,” Dr. Thulasi said.
The latest recommendations from the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA, 2026), also emphasise a shift away from reliever-only (SABA) treatment towards inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-based therapy for better asthma control.
