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Bridget M. Kuehn

JAMA. 2007;298:1503-1504.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The latest update to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI’s) asthma guidelines calls on physicians to more carefully assess their patients' day-to-day function and to gauge the risk of future attacks. Additionally, the guidelines highlight the special care of children with the disease and ways physicians can better educate patients, their families, and school officials about asthma.

More than 22 million US individuals have asthma, including 6.5 million children, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Advances in the understanding of asthma and its treatment have made it possible for most asthma patients to manage the disease and to lead full and active lives, said Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, head of the NHLBI. To help physicians and patients achieve good symptom control, the NHLBI has updated its national asthma guidelines to reflect the latest scientific evidence in the field (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/asthgdln.htm).

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IMPROVING PATIENT ASSESSMENT