Common types of asthma include the following:
- Allergic asthma. Asthma triggered by allergens.
- Exercise-induced asthma (EIA). Asthma that is triggered by physical activity.
- Nocturnal asthma. Asthma that worsens at night-time
- Occupational asthma. Asthma that is triggered in the workplace.
Determining the underlying "type" of asthma is helpful for evaluating possible triggers and treatment options. For instance, nocturnal asthma may be triggered by gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) or sinusitis, so the diagnosis of nocturnal asthma may lead to further testing of these possible causes.
Categories of Asthma Severity
Your doctor may classify your asthma based on the severity of symptoms. This classification is helpful for establishing an asthma treatment plan.
The different categories include the following:
- Mild intermittent: This is asthma that comes and goes. You have episodes of asthma symptoms twice a week or less, and you are bothered by symptoms at night twice a month or less. You have no symptoms between episodes and your lung function is normal.
- Mild persistent asthma: You have asthma symptoms more than twice a week, but no more than once in a single day. You are bothered by symptoms at night more than twice a month. You may have asthma attacks that affect your activity.
- Moderate persistent asthma: You have asthma symptoms every day, and you are bothered by nighttime symptoms more than once a week. Asthma attacks may affect your activity.
- Severe persistent asthma: You have symptoms throughout the day on most days, and you are bothered by nighttime symptoms often. In severe asthma, your physical activity is likely to be limited.
These categories are helpful to establishing an asthma treatment plan.
NOTE: it is very important to keep in mind that anyone with asthma can have a severe asthma attack that requires emergency care, even those with mild disease.
Groups of People Affected by Asthma
Asthma can affect people at any age and may be associated with other medical conditions, such as pregnancy.
Source: National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute
Last updated : 9/16/2020