Severe Asthma

Abstract

Severe asthma afflicts a small percentage (~5%) of the asthma population. These patients remain difficult to treat, prone to severe exacerbations, and contribute disproportionately to the overall costs of asthma. Severe asthma could be considered a particular asthma phenotype with distinct features compared to the mild/moderate forms of the disease. Several programs monitor severe asthma patients to identify risk factors, define phenotypes and corresponding biomarkers, evaluate predictors of exacerbation, and identify new treatment targets.