Asthma treatment

Terming asthma as under-diagnosed and under-treated, the federal government issued new guidelines yesterday that recommend prompt, aggressive treatment for this common respiratory condition. An estimated 14 million Americans — including nearly 5 million children — suffer the wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and cough that characterize asthma, according to the latest government figures. Asthma claims 5,000 lives each year. What troubles researchers is that the incidence of asthma has increased in geometric proportions over the past decade.