PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Kian Fan Chung
AU  - Sally E. Wenzel
AU  - Jan L. Brozek
AU  - Andrew Bush
AU  - Mario Castro
AU  - Peter J. Sterk
AU  - Ian M. Adcock
AU  - Eric D. Bateman
AU  - Elisabeth H. Bel
AU  - Eugene R. Bleecker
AU  - Louis-Philippe Boulet
AU  - Christopher Brightling
AU  - Pascal Chanez
AU  - Sven-Erik Dahlen
AU  - Ratko Djukanovic
AU  - Urs Frey
AU  - Mina Gaga
AU  - Peter Gibson
AU  - Qutayba Hamid
AU  - Nizar N. Jarjour
AU  - Thais Mauad
AU  - Ronald L. Sorkness
AU  - W. Gerald Teague
TI  - International ERS/ATS guidelines on definition, evaluation and treatment of severe asthma
AID  - 10.1183/09031936.00202013
DP  - 2014 Feb 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 343--373
VI  - 43
IP  - 2
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/43/2/343.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/43/2/343.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Feb 01; 43
AB  - Severe or therapy-resistant asthma is increasingly recognised as a major unmet need. A Task Force, supported by the European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society, reviewed the definition and provided recommendations and guidelines on the evaluation and treatment of severe asthma in children and adults.A literature review was performed, followed by discussion by an expert committee according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach for development of specific clinical recommendations.When the diagnosis of asthma is confirmed and comorbidities addressed, severe asthma is defined as asthma that requires treatment with high dose inhaled corticosteroids plus a second controller and/or systemic corticosteroids to prevent it from becoming “uncontrolled” or that remains “uncontrolled” despite this therapy. Severe asthma is a heterogeneous condition consisting of phenotypes such as eosinophilic asthma. Specific recommendations on the use of sputum eosinophil count and exhaled nitric oxide to guide therapy, as well as treatment with anti-IgE antibody, methotrexate, macrolide antibiotics, antifungal agents and bronchial thermoplasty are provided.Coordinated research efforts for improved phenotyping will provide safe and effective biomarker-driven approaches to severe asthma therapy.ERS/ATS guidelines revise the definition of severe asthma, discuss phenotypes and provide guidance on patient management http://ow.ly/roufI