Most asthma attacks require medication. Milder attacks are most common and usually begin with tightness in the chest and a cough. Breathing may be accompanied by wheezing as well as by restlessness and difficulty sleeping. Sometimes these mild attacks seem to improve for a while, only to be followed by the reappearance of persistent symptoms which require treatment in a hospital.

If you should suffer an asthma attack that lands you in the hospital, treatment with a corticosteroid may help. A study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review (Issue 3, Article CD000195) reports that corticosteroids can prevent relapse after an asthma attack.

Up to 16% of people who undergo emergency treatment for an asthma attack have a relapse within two weeks. But the study finds that taking corticosteroids for a few days after being discharged from the hospital reduces the chances of a relapse and lessens the need for reliever inhalers.

Researchers reviewed six studies involving 374 people who were treated in the hospital for an asthma attack. They found that people who were given corticosteroids to relieve inflammation of the airways were 65% less likely to be hospitalized again, 62% less likely to need additional care in the week after discharge, and 53% less likely to have another asthma attack within three weeks than those who didn't take corticosteroids.

Patients receiving corticosteroids were also less likely to need a short-acting beta-agonist reliever inhaler. Both oral and intramuscular corticosteroids were found to be effective.

Bottom line advice: If you or a family member with asthma must be treated for an asthma attack in the emergency room, ask whether corticosteroids can help you avoid a relapse. If you don't already have an asthma action plan, talk with your doctor about developing one.