What is Asthma Severity?: Intermittent Asthma or Persistent Asthma

Asthma can affect people in different ways. Your doctor will diagnose your child with a specific level of asthma severity. Your child’s asthma severity diagnosis is based on the frequency of your child’s symptoms. Children need different medications, depending on their age and asthma severity.

Use the chart below for information about your child’s asthma severity.

Ages 0-4 years:

Asthma Severity	Frequencies of Daytime Symptoms are…	Frequencies of Nighttime Symptoms are…	Need to take Controller Medicine?
If my child’s asthma is…		Then that means…
Intermittent	Less than or equal to 2 times per week.	None	No controller medicine taken. Only quick relief medicine taken as needed.
Mild Persistent	More than 2 times per week.	1-2 times per month.	Low dose of daily controller medicine needed.
Moderate Persistent	Daily. May not be able to participate in physical activity.	3-4 times per month.	Medium dose of daily controller medicine needed.
Severe Persistent	Throughout the day. Frequent bad asthma attacks where child cannot breathe.	More than 1 per week.	Medium dose of daily controller medicine needed.

Ages 5-11 years:

Asthma Severity	Frequencies of Daytime Symptoms are…	Frequencies of Nighttime Symptoms are…	Need to take Controller Medicine?
If my child’s asthma is…		Then that means…
Intermittent	Less than or equal to 2 times per week.	Less than or equal to two nights per month.	No controller medicine taken. Only quick relief medicine taken as needed.
Mild Persistent	More than 2 times per week.	3-4 times per month.	Low dose of daily controller medicine needed.
Moderate Persistent	Daily. May not be able to participate in physical activity.	More than 1 per week.	Medium dose of daily controller medicine needed.
Severe Persistent	Throughout the day. Frequent bad asthma attacks where child cannot breathe.	Frequent. 7 times per week.	Medium dose of daily controller medicine needed.

Your child’s asthma severity may change as your child gets older. Remember to always monitor how often your child takes quick relief. This will let you know if your child’s asthma severity has changed.