For some years, international guidelines on the management of asthma have stressed the importance of early intervention with anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent acute asthma exacerbations and to avert chronic inflammatory damage to the airway. Introduced by a broad survey of the targets for anti-inflammatory drugs, this book proceeds to bring together the most recent research into the mechanisms and clinical benefits of presently available anti-inflammatory treatments including corticosteroids, cromones, and theophylline. For the first time, these drugs are discussed alongside the newly...