Although asthma affects nearly 8% of the adult population, most of these patients have mild-
to-moderate disease that can be controlled with appropriate treatment. It is estimated,
however, that 5% to 10% of patients with asthma have severe disease that is unresponsive
to typical therapeutics, including corticosteroids. Because patients with severe asthma are
disproportionately affected by their disease, in terms of both impaired lifestyle and health
care costs, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute sponsored a workshop on the …