Bronchial Asthma

Asthma

A heterogeneous disease usually characterized by chronic airway inflammation, defined by a history of respiratory symptoms (wheeze, shortness of breath, chest tightness, cough) that vary over time and in intensity, together with variable expiratory airflow limitation (GINA 2026).

Asthma control

The extent to which asthma symptoms, reliever need, activity limitation and night waking are reduced or removed by treatment, assessed over the previous four weeks.

Difficult-to-treat asthma

Asthma uncontrolled despite medium/high-dose ICS-LABA, before modifiable factors are addressed.

Exacerbation (flare-up)

An acute or sub-acute worsening of symptoms and lung function beyond the patient's usual variation, requiring a change in treatment.

MART

ICS-formoterol used as both maintenance and reliever therapy; no other ICS-LABA combination may be used in this way (see Section 4).

Severe asthma

Asthma that remains uncontrolled despite optimized high-dose ICS-LABA and management of contributory factors, or that worsens when treatment is reduced.

Type 2 inflammation

An eosinophilic/allergic inflammatory pattern (raised eosinophils, FeNO and/or IgE) predicting response to ICS and Type 2-targeted biologics.