The clinical assessment of severe asthma.

Thorough and ongoing clinical assessment is the foundation of modern asthma management. The history delineates the severity, circumstances, and time course of the present attack, placing it in the clinical context of the patient and his disease. A physical examination disclosing airflow obstruction, tissue hypoxia, respiratory muscle fatigue, and complications of therapy, in conjunction with simple objective measures of airflow obstruction and arterial gas tensions, allows the physician to make informed management decisions in the care of these severely ill patients.