A patient who has been newly diagnosed with asthma is referred to an asthma clinic. The patient reports daily symptoms requiring short-acting beta₂-agonist treatments for relief. The patient has used oral glucocorticoids three times in the past 3 months and reports awakening at night with symptoms about once a week. The patient's forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) is 75% of predicted values. The nurse will expect this patient to be started on which regimen?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This patient has moderate persistent asthma, which requires step 3 management for initial treatment. Step 3 includes daily inhalation of a low-dose glucocorticoid/LABA combination supplemented with a SABA as needed. A daily low-dose glucocorticoid with an as-needed SABA is used for step 2 management. A daily medium-dose glucocorticoid/LABA is used for step 4 management. Patients requiring step 1 management do not need daily medications.

A Patient Who Has Been Newly Diagnosed with Asthma Is