Asthma Severity Stages
Asthma severity is commonly staged as intermittent or persistent disease, with persistent disease subdivided into mild persistent, moderate persistent, and severe persistent. [1]
Intermittent Asthma
Intermittent asthma is classified when impairments and risk features are minimal based on symptom frequency, night waking, short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) use, activity limitation, and lung function, as defined in the severity table. [1]
Mild Persistent Asthma
Mild persistent asthma is classified when symptom and impairment features occur more than intermittent thresholds but are not daily, with risk features below moderate and severe thresholds, as defined in the severity table. [1]
Moderate Persistent Asthma
Moderate persistent asthma is classified when symptoms occur daily or near-daily (based on the severity table definitions) with greater impairment and higher exacerbation risk than mild persistent, as defined in the severity table. [1]
Severe Persistent Asthma
Severe persistent asthma is classified when impairment and risk features reach the severe thresholds (including the most frequent symptoms and greatest lung function impairment or highest exacerbation-risk thresholds), as defined in the severity table. [1]
Severity Versus Control in Contemporary Guidelines
Current Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidance emphasizes asthma management based on clinical control and notes that older severity categories can be less reliable for directing treatment once therapy has been initiated. [2]