An acute attack of asthma should not be mistaken with acute severe asthma because the latter could be very serious and may require hospitalisation. Acute severe asthma was formerly labelled as Status Asthmaticus which was a much better terminology indicating that acute asthma was resistant to the common doses of the commonly prescribed drugs for an attack of asthma.

I have been on the look out to pick up patients of “Exercise induced bronchial asthma”. I find that it is very rare. Most of the patients diagnosed with this label are patients of chronic bronchial asthma or COPD who develop dyspnoea on exertion. Remember that the label of Exercise induced asthma should be given to a patient, who after finishing exercise, starts becoming breathless 3-5 mins later and develops maximum symptoms after 15-20 mins and is relieved of his asthma in less than an hour.