Asthma is among the conditions most often managed in general practice.¹

Asthma management is based on continual review and adjustment of medication to achieve and maintain good control of symptoms and to prevent flare-ups, with ongoing assessment of symptoms, risk factors, comorbidites, inhaler technique and adherence (see box 1).

The Australian Asthma Handbook for primary care (see resources) treatment levels for adults and adolescents are numbered 1–5 (see figure 1), according to the intensity of treatment (type, number and dose of medicines) required to achieve good asthma control.²

Level 1 is as-needed short-acting beta2 agonist (SABA) only, while level 5 is specialised add-on treatments in addition to maintenance treatment with an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)–LABA combination.