Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Mar 14.
Published in final edited form as: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Feb;119(2):405–413. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2006.11.639

TABLE I.

ATS workshop consensus for definition of severe/refractory asthma8*

Major criteria (need ≥1)
 Treatment with continuous or near continuous (≥50% of year) OCSs
 Requirement for treatment with high-dose ICSs
Minor criteria (need ≥2)
 Requirement for additional daily treatment with a controller medication (eg, LABA, theophylline, or leukotriene antagonist)
 Asthma symptoms requiring SABA use on a daily or near-daily basis
 Persistent airway obstruction (FEV1 < 80% predicted, diurnal peak expiratory flow variability > 20%)
 One or more urgent care visits for asthma per year
 Three or more oral steroid bursts per year
 Prompt deterioration with a ≤25% reduction in oral or inhaled corticosteroid dose
 Near-fatal asthma event in the past
*

Requires that other conditions have been excluded, exacerbating factors have been treated, and patient is generally compliant.