For patients with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma, new guidelines from the NAEPP recommend SMART, particularly for patients with a recent disease exacerbation.
The use of single maintenance and reliever therapy (SMART) for asthma is recommended for patients with moderate to severe persistent asthma and patients who have had a severe exacerbation in the prior year.
These recommendations are from 2020 updated guidelines from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), published in December 2020 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The "focused updates" are the agency's first since 2007. SMART is recommended within the section focused on use of intermittent inhaled corticosteroids.
The Guideline Toplines slide show below offers a quick look at the recommendations for SMART, including patient selection, dosing schedule and dosage, and benefits associated with this approach.