Patients with asthma

The current advice is that patients with severe asthma should consider themselves as extremely vulnerable and to follow the shielding advice from the government.

How does one define “severe asthma”?

The current guidance defines this as patients who are on high dose inhaled steroids AND one additional preventative medication for asthma. The following tables can help you identify whether you are on a high steroid dose.

High dose steroid inhalers 1

High dose steroid inhalers 2

Asthmatics patients may also be considered severe if their asthma has resulted in attendances to GP/A+E/hospital admissions in the past year, depending on the number and severity of each individual episode.

Please request a review of your case via email/Patient Triage/telephone if you need further clarification.

Patients whose asthma is not considered severe/uncontrolled should follow general social distancing guidance.

Please refer to the following links as well for further information.

–who is at very high risk needing shielding? 

-high risk patients are defined here by Asthma UK