Asthma affects approximately 16 million people in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. According to the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program, the severity can be classified from intermittent to mild and persistent to moderate and persistent to severe and persistent, based on several things: the frequency and severity of the symptoms, lung functions; the type of medication used and how frequently the medication is needed, and how much the asthma symptoms limit your quality of life. Your asthma classification may change over time, and a person in any category can have severe asthma attacks.
Record Frequency of Symptoms
Write down all of the symptoms you have for a month. If the symptoms appear fewer than two days in a week and nighttime symptoms fewer than two days per month, the asthma is considered intermittent or the least severe. Mild and persistent asthma causes symptoms on more than two days a week but not daily, and nighttime symptoms three to four times a month. Asthma is considered moderate and persistent if you have daily symptoms and weekly nighttime symptoms. Severe and persistent asthma causes you to experience extremely frequent nighttime symptoms coupled with daily symptoms.
Determine How Much Your Life is Affected
The least severe asthma doesn't interfere with your daily activities, you don't miss any days from work or school due to the condition, and you're able to participate in any activities. If you have mild and persistent asthma, it doesn't interfere with your life, but you might occasionally miss a day from school or work. If you have moderate and persistent or severe asthma, you frequently miss time from work or school due to asthma. Moderate and persistent asthma symptoms prevent you from taking part in the activities that you enjoy. If you have severe and persistent asthma, you have great difficulty in enjoying everyday life due to the symptoms.
Amount and Frequency of Medication
In mild asthma, you don't need regular medication, but in moderate or severe and persistent asthma, you need a short-acting asthma medication every day.
Spirometry and Gas Diffusion
Ask your doctor to measure how well your lungs are functioning with a spirometry, a device used to measure lung capacity. If lung functions are normal, you suffer from mild asthma. If the results aren't normal, you might have either moderate persistent or severe persistent asthma. Gas diffusion tests measure the amount of oxygen and other gases that cross the lungs' air sacs.
References
- National Institutes of Health: National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Expert Panel Report 3:Section 3, The Four Components of Asthma Management
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Asthma in adults - Treatment
- MSN Health: Classification of Asthma
- National Institutes of Health: National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma
- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Asthma
