Treatment

Avoiding the workplace substance that causes your symptoms is critical. However, once you become sensitive to a substance, tiny amounts may trigger asthma symptoms, even if you wear a mask or respirator.

The goal of treatment is to prevent symptoms and stop an asthma attack in progress. You may need medications for successful treatment. The same medication guidelines are used to treat both occupational and nonoccupational asthma.

The right medication for you depends on a number of things, including your age, symptoms, asthma triggers and what seems to work best to keep your asthma under control.

Medications include:

Long-term control medications

• Inhaled corticosteroids. Inhaled corticosteroids reduce inflammation and have a relatively low risk of side effects.
• Leukotriene modifiers. These controller medications are alternatives to corticosteroids.
• Long-acting beta agonists (LABAs). LABAs open the airways and reduce inflammation. For asthma, LABAs generally should only be taken in combination with an inhaled corticosteroid.
• Combination inhalers. These medications contain an LABA and a corticosteroid.

Quick-relief, short-term medications

• Short-acting beta agonists. These medications ease symptoms during an asthma attack.
• Oral and intravenous corticosteroids. These relieve airway inflammation for severe asthma. Long-term, they cause serious side effects.

If you find you need to use a quick-relief inhaler more often than your doctor recommends, you may need to adjust your long-term control medication.

Also, if your asthma is triggered or worsened by allergies, you may benefit from allergy treatment. Allergy treatments include oral and nasal spray antihistamines and decongestants.