Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of bronchial asthma--a comparison of the Japanese guidelines for the adult asthma with GINA and ICR
Kabe, J.
Nihon Rinsho. Japanese Journal of Clinical Medicine 54(11): 2886-2892
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0047-1852 PMID: 8950925 Document Number: 459975
Although the concept of asthma management of the Japanese Guidelines is basically similar in the other guidelines including GINA, ICR, of British Thoracic Society, and of the other countries, assuming that asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airway, the program of stepwise pharmacologic therapy is not the same in various points. Therapy suggested in the Japanese Guidelines is different in 1) oral antiallergic drugs are widely used, 2) patients prefer oral bronchodilators to inhaled bronchodilators, 3) sustained released theophylline in the long term management and intravenous infusion of aminophylline for the treatment of acute exacerbation are accepted and frequently used by the physicians. Also the differences in the choice of medication between GINA, which is characterized by concept of cost, and other guidelines are discussed.