In the new asthma guidelines by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) are the first revision of the document in a decade.Physician's First Watch noted that to more easily negotiate the 500-page document, readers should look for the boxes marked "Key Differences from 1997 and 2002 Expert Panel Reports."
For the first time, the guidelines recommend immunotherapy for treatment of asthma, quote from page 195:
“The Expert Panel recommends that allergen immunotherapy be considered for patients who have persistent asthma if evidence is clear of a relationship between symptoms and exposure to an allergen to which the patient is sensitive (Evidence B).”
References:
Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR 3): Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
70-page Summary: Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR-3): Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma - Summary Report 2007.
Panel Revises Asthma Guidelines. Physician's First Watch.
Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.
Further reading:
Listen to podcast: Discussing the new guidelines for asthma management with Dr. James T. Li, MD, PhD., chair of Division of Allergic Diseases, Mayo Clinic.
British guidelines on the management of asthma: what's new for 2011? http://goo.gl/Lj1h7 - Authors tried to make a ‘living guideline’