When asthma symptoms like these can’t be controlled with daily medication, the condition is considered severe.
Severe asthma is usually treated with inhaled corticosteroids and often other long-term medications.
Can asthma kill you?
Verywell / Katie Kerpel
In rare cases,severe asthma can be fatal.
With the right treatment, however, symptoms can be controlled.
When Is Asthma an Emergency?
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
What Are the Causes of Severe Asthma?
Severe asthma may have a number of causes, including:
Asthma is a progressive disease.
If it’s not treated properly, it can develop into a more serious condition.
This can lead to severe asthma or other lung diseases.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
How Is Severe Asthma Diagnosed?
Severe asthma is not the same as uncontrolled asthma.
If your symptoms do not subside, it’s an indication your asthma has become severe.
Your healthcare provider will check your overall pulmonary function as severe asthma often reduces lung function.
Is severe asthma a disability?
Severe asthma is one of the many conditions included under this definition.
How Is Severe Asthma Treated?
A combination of treatments is often used to manage severe asthma.
These may include:
Sometimes severe asthma does not improve with treatment.
If you have severe asthma, you should be evaluated and appropriately treated for these conditions.
Triggers such as exercise or allergies must be identified and avoided.
Non-medical treatment such as physiotherapy may be beneficial in conjunction with the above.
How to Cope With Severe Asthma
Severe asthma can significantly impact your quality of life.
Chronic breathing issues may make it hard to work and enjoy leisure activities.
Those with severe asthma are at greater risk of hospitalization compared to those with mild or moderate asthma.
The first-line treatment for severe asthma is oral or inhaled corticosteroids.
A combination of treatments may be prescribed depending on your symptoms.
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