Asthma has afflicted millions of people around the world, leaving them literally breathless. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology's figures show that more than 20 million Americans, one in 15, suffer from the disease, accounting for nearly half a million hospitalizations in the United States yearly. But these asthma attacks can be prevented, researchers found.

Asthma attacks can be prevented as long as people take their medicine, according to lead author Keoki Williams, MD, MPH, an internal medicine physician and associate director of the Henry Ford Center for Health Policy and Health Service Research.

Working from the fact that inhaled corticosteroid medication, or ICS, is the most effective treatment for controlling symptoms and preventing asthma attacks, Williams along with a team of researchers went to work with the study. They sought to measure the changes in medication use over time and to estimate the effects of ICS use on asthma attacks among patients.

Following 298 patients for about two years and having observed 435 asthma attacks during that time, researchers discovered that for every 25 percent increase in ICS adherence, there was an 11 percent decrease in asthma attacks. Moreover, they found that an asthma attack was significantly reduced when patients used at least 75 percent of their prescribed dose.

Williams noted that casual use of asthma medications is not enough, especially among those whose asthma is not controlled, strongly recommending they use their asthma controller medication as prescribed to prevent serious episodes.

In order to adequately manage asthma attacks, proper medication must be used, and with various medications out there it is good to have an understanding of what they are. There are two categories of asthma medication: quick-relief medication and controller asthma medication, Pat Bass of About.com reported.

Quick-relief asthma medication is used to treat asthma symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing.

On the other hand, controller asthma medication, which attempts to prevent those symptoms, offers long-term control of the disease. Some samples of controller asthma medication are inhaled and oral steroids, short acting and long-acting beta agonists, leukotriene modifiers and anticholinergics.

But like most medications, it is good to consult a doctor or to just simply follow what a person's doctor prescribes to them.