Adult-Onset Asthma (cont.)
Who gets asthma?
Anyone can get asthma at any age. Among those at higher risk for asthma are
people who:
- Have a family history of asthma
- Have a history of allergies (allergic asthma)
- Have smokers living in the household
- Live in urban areas
How is asthma classified?
Asthma is classified into four categories based upon frequency of symptoms
and objective measures, such as peak flow measurements and/or spirometry
results. These categories are: mild intermittent; mild
persistent; moderate persistent; and severe persistent. Your
physician will determine the severity and control of your asthma based on how
frequently you have symptoms and on lung function tests. It is important to
note that a person's asthma symptoms can change from one category to
another.
Mild intermittent asthma
- Symptoms occur less than two times a week, and nighttime symptoms occur
less than two times per month.
- Asthma episodes are brief (a few hours to a few days).
- Lung function tests are greater than 80% of predicted values. Predictions
are often made on the basis of age, sex, and height. For a person with asthma,
the "predicted" figure could be replaced by the person's own personal best test
value as the figure for comparison.
Mild persistent asthma
- Symptoms occur more than two times per week but not every day.
- Lung function tests are greater than 80% of predicted.
Moderate persistent asthma
- Symptoms occur daily.
- Asthma symptoms affect activity, occur more than two times per week, and
may last for days.
- There is a reduction in lung function, with a lung function test range of
60% to 80% of predicted.
Severe persistent asthma
- Symptoms occur continuously, with asthma at night frequently.
- Activities are limited.
- Lung function is decreased to less than 60% of predicted.
Next: How is asthma treated? »
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