How can a leukotriene antagonist help treat my child's asthma?

A class of drugs considered partially anti-inflammatory are called leukotriene antagonists. These medications, such as montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate), and zileuton (Zyflo), work against one variety of inflammation-causing substances that increase in children with exercise- and allergy-induced asthma. Hence, they are often added to inhaled corticosteroids when these factors are identified as triggers in individual cases. They are not recommended for use as the only anti-inflammatory drug for asthma treatment because they block only one aspect of inflammation, whereas corticosteroids treat the inflammation that results from all these chemical effects, not just one of them.