Definition of Persistent Asthma

Approximately 20 million Americans suffer from asthma, and symptoms can range from mild to severe. Treatments for persistent asthma and intermittent asthma may differ, so knowing what category symptoms fall into can play an important role in managing them.

Mild Asthma

• Mild asthma may fall into one of two categories: mild intermittent asthma that occurs no more than twice per week, or mild persistent asthma that occurs more than twice per week but not daily.

Moderate Persistent

• Moderate persistent asthma is characterized by daily symptoms with some nighttime symptoms and two or more flareups per week.

Severe Persistent

• Individuals with severe persistent asthma experience symptoms continuously and have frequent nighttime symptoms and flareups.

Considerations

• It it not unusual for individuals to move from one category to another as symptoms improve or become worse.

Treatment

• The course of treatment prescribed for asthma will depend on the severity and the frequency of symptoms. In most cases, persistent asthma is treated with a combination of long-term controllers and short-term rescue medications.