Table 1.

Four distinct clinical phenotypes of severe asthma and their characteristics

Type of severe asthma	Predominant clinical features
Severe atopic form	High serum IgE levels
	Detectable allergen‐specific IgEs
	Frequently presenting with fungal sensitivity (predominantly to Aspergillus).
Severe ‘intrinsic’ asthma	High eosinophil counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
	Nasal polyps
	Sinusitis
	Air trapping
Severe asthma with obesity	Several comorbidities
	Sleep apnoea
	Gastro‐oeosophageal reflux disease
	Low eosinophil counts
Sudden asthma attacks	Recurrent in otherwise mild asthmatics
	More frequent in women
	Triggered by allergens, drugs, food, chemicals
	Often unrecognized cause