Bronchial asthma is a common problem with enormous medical and economics impacts. It is an inflammatory disease of the airways associated with intermittent episodes of bronchospasm. Asthma is not uncommon in the elderly patients. Prevalence of asthma is similar in older and younger adults. Asthma in the elderly patient is underdiagnosed because of false perceptions by both patient and physician. The high incidence of comorbid conditions in the elderly patient makes the diagnosis and management more difficult. Correct diagnosis is demonstrated with spirometry. The goals of asthma treatment are to achieve and maintain control of symptoms and to prevent development of irreversible airflow limitation. Asthma drugs are preferably inhaled because this route minimizes systemic absorption and, thus, improves the ratio of the therapeutic benefit to the potential side-effects in elderly patients.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (“SARS-CoV-2”, previously provisionally named “2019 novel coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV”) disease (COVID-19) in China, at the end of 2019, resulted in a large global outbreak.Among patients with pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2, fever is the most common symptom, followed by dry cough. Bilateral lung involvement with ground-glass opacities (GGOs) is the most common finding from computed tomography (CT) images of the chest.At present, there are no specific antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection for potential therapy of humans. Current treatments are mainly focused on symptomatic and respiratory support in patients with COVID-19. Preventive measures are the current strategy to limit the spread of cases.The present report summarizes the point of the situation about this global emergency.

Acute asthma exacerbations are one of the most frequent reasons to visit the emergency department or general practitioner. Although current standard treatments for acute asthma – including supplemental oxygen, short-acting β2-agonists, systemic corticosteroids and anticholinergics – are quite effective in most patients, they are inadequate for rapid and sustained improvement in a significant proportion. The antileukotrienes, a relatively new class of drugs, have a role in the treatment of chronic asthma. Their relatively rapid onset of action after endovenous or oral administration and their additive effect to β2-agonists led to the hypothesis that they might be of benefit in acute asthma. This review examines the efficacy of antileukotrienes in the treatment of acute asthma.

Acute asthma exacerbations are one of the most frequent reasons to visit the emergency department or general practitioner. Although current standard treatments for acute asthma – including supplemental oxygen, short-acting β2-agonists, systemic corticosteroids and anticholinergics – are quite effective in most patients, they are inadequate for rapid and sustained improvement in a significant proportion. The antileukotrienes, a relatively new class of drugs, have a role in the treatment of chronic asthma. Their relatively rapid onset of action after endovenous or oral administration and their additive effect to β2-agonists led to the hypothesis that they might be of benefit in acute asthma. This review examines the efficacy of antileukotrienes in the treatment of acute asthma.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways with a worldwide prevalence ranging from 1% to 18%. We report the case of a 43-year-old man with acute asthma exacerbation admitted to Emergency Department. All patients with asthma are at risk of having exacerbations characterised by worsening symptoms, airflow obstruction, and an increased requirement for rescue bronchodilators. Patients should be evaluated and triaged quickly to assess the presence of exacerbations and the need for urgent intervention. The goals of treatment may be summarised as maintenance of adequate oxygen saturation with supplemental oxygen, relief of airway obstruction with repetitive administration of rapid-acting inhaled bronchodilators, and treatment of airway inflammation with systemic corticosteroids.