ABSTRACT
The incidence of bronchial asthma has increased substantially since recent decades in both children and adults. Moreover, the number of patients presenting with asthma exacerbation to the emergency department has also increased in several countries. Leukotrienes are inflammatory mediators that play an important role in bronchial asthma exacerbation. Leukotriene receptor antagonists reduce asthma exacerbation in chronic asthma; moreover, the current guidelines for asthma management recommend the use of oral leukotriene receptor antagonists for asthma control and reduce further exacerbation. However, data on the use of intravenous leukotriene receptor antagonists during acute asthma exacerbation are scarce. Nevertheless, currently available data revealed a trend of significant improvement of acute asthma and rapid reversal of airflow obstruction when administered during an acute asthma attack. This review aims to summarize currently available data on the use of intravenous leukotriene receptor antagonists in adult patients with acute asthma exacerbation.
