[Peak-flow monitoring in asthmatic patients: indications and therapeutic implications of the measurements with reference to the 'traffic-light system'].

Peak flow meters do not allow to perform lung function analysis in the private practice. However, they can be used for the diagnosis of reversible airway obstruction, to search for exacerbation factors in asthma, and to monitor drug therapy in chronic asthma. Peak flow measurements provide the means for self-assessment and self-management of asthma by the patients themselves allowing treatment to be optimized and guaranteeing a better quality of life. The plotting of daily pre- and post-bronchodilator peak flow values enables the patient to understand the pathophysiologic changes in his respiratory tract. Therapeutic implications are easily recognized and can be performed without delay by the patient himself on the basis of the so-called "traffic light system".