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Despite the use of effective medications to control asthma, severe exacerbations in asthma are still a major health risk and require urgent action on the part of the patient and physician to prevent serious outcomes such as hospitalisation or death. Moreover, severe exacerbations are associated with substantial healthcare costs and psychological burden, including anxiety and fear for patients and their families. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) set up a task force to search for a clear definition of severe exacerbations, and to also define research questions and priorities. The statement includes comments from patients who were members of the task force., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: A. Bourdin reports personal and institutional fees for advisory board work from AstraZeneca, Novartis, GSK, Boehringher Ingelheim, Chiesi, Actelion, Pfizer and Teva, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: L. Bjermer has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: C. Brightling reports grants and personal fees for consultancy from GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca/Medimmune, Novartis, Chiesi, Roche/Genentech and Boehringer Inglheim, personal fees for consultancy from Vectura, Theravance, PreP, Gilead, Sanofi/Regeneron, Teva, Gossamer and 4DPharma, grants from Pfizer and Mologic, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: G.G. Brusselle reports personal fees for advisory board work and lectures from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Teva, personal fees for advisory board work from Sanofi, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: P. Chanez reports research grants and personal fees for consultancy, advisory board work and lectures from ALK, Almirall, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, AstraZeneca, Novartis, TEVA and Chiesi, grants from AMU, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: K.F. Chung has received honoraria for participating in advisory board meetings of GSK, AZ, Novartis, Merck, BI and TEVA regarding treatments for asthma and COPD, and has also been renumerated for speaking engagements. Conflict of interest: A. Custovic reports personal fees for consultancy from Novartis, Regeneron/Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim and Philips, personal fees for lectures from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Novartis, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: Z. Diamant reports personal fees from AstraZeneca and Sanofi-Genzyme, during the conduct of the study; personal fees from Aquilon, ALK, Boehringer Ingelheim, Gilead, Hal Allergy and MSD, outside the submitted work; and in addiction to academic affiliations, also works at a phase I/II unit performing clinical studies for different biotech and pharma companies. Conflict of interest: S. Diver has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: R. Djukanovic reports receiving fees for lectures at symposia organised by Novartis, AstraZeneca and TEVA, consultation for TEVA and Novartis as member of advisory boards, and participation in a scientific discussion about asthma organised by GlaxoSmithKline; in addition, is a co-founder and current consultant, and has shares in, Synairgen, a University of Southampton spin out company. Conflict of interest: D. Hamerlijnck has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: I. Horvath reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, Berlin-Chemie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, GSK, Novartis, CSL-Behring and Roche, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: S.L. Johnston reports personal fees for advisory board work from Therapeutic Frontiers and Virtus Respiratory Research, personal fees for consultancy from Myelo Therapeutics GmbH, Concert Pharmaceuticals, Bayer, Gerson Lehrman Group, resTORbio, Bioforce, Materia Medical Holdings, PrepBio Pharma, Pulmotect, Virion Health and Lallemand Pharma, personal and insititutional fees for consultancy from Synairgen, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim and Chiesi; and has received personal fees for the following patents planned, issued or pending: transgenic animal models of HRV with human ICAM-1 sequences (UK patent application number 02 167 29.4, and international patent application number PCT/EP2003/007939); anti-virus therapy for respiratory diseases (UK patent application number GB 0405634.7); interferon-beta for anti-virus therapy for respiratory diseases (international patent application number PCT/GB05/50031); interferon lambda therapy for the treatment of respiratory disease (UK patent application number 6779645.9, granted); induction of cross-reactive cellular response against rhinovirus antigens (European patent number 13305152), outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: F. Kanniess reports personal fees for lectures and advisory board work from AstraZeneca, Novartis, Mundipharma and TEVA, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: N. Papadopoulos reports personal fees for advisory board work and lectures from Novartis, Nutricia, HAL, personal fees from Menarini/Faes Farma and Mylan/Meda, personal fees for lectures from Sanofi, Biomay, MSD, ASIT Biotech and Boehringer Ingelheim, personal fees for advisory board work from AstraZeneca and GSK, grants from Gerolymatos International SA and Capricare, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: A. Papi reports grants, personal fees for lectures, advisory board work and consultancy, and travel expenses reimbursement from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi Farmaceutici, GlaxoSmithKline and Teva, personal fees for advisory board work and consultancy from Sanofi/Regeneron, personal fees for lectures and travel expenses reimbursement from Zambon and Novartis, personal fees for lectures, advisory board work and consultancy, and travel expenses reimbursement from Mundipharma, personal fees for lectures and advisory board work, and travel expenses reimbursement Almirall, grants, personal fees for lectures and travel expenses reimbursement from Menarini, grants from Fondazione Maugeri, grants from Fondazione Chiesi Farmaceutici, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: R.J. Russell has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: D. Ryan reports personal fees for advisory board work from GSK and Trudell Medical, personal fees for advisory board work and lectures from AZ, personal fees for lectures from Mylan and Chiesi, personal fees for consultancy from Optimum Patient Care, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: K. Samitas has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: T. Tonia acts as ERS methodologist. Conflict of interest: E. Zervas reports personal fees consultancy and lectures from Astra, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chiesi, GSK, Elpen, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Menarini and Pfizer, non-financial support for travel, accommodation and meeting expenses from Astra, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Galenica, Chiesi, Elpen, Novartis, Menarini and Roche, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: M. Gaga reports grants and personal fees from AZ, grants from BI, Elpen, Novartis and Menarini, personal fees from BMS, MSD, Chiesi and Pharmaten, outside the submitted work., (Copyright ©ERS 2019.)

Background: Severe and difficult to treat asthma impairs health status and accounts for about half of asthma expenditure. In 1994, a European Network For Understanding Mechanisms of Severe Asthma (ENFUMOSA) was formed. A large group of patients from nine European countries has been selected., Objective: To examine the risk factors and symptoms associated with a phenotype of severe/difficult to treat asthma., Methods: The present report presents data assessed through the use of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) Questionnaire in 148 mild-moderate controlled and 155 severe asthmatics from the ENFUMOSA group., Results: There is a negative association of severe asthma with reported allergy and with a family history of allergy (Odds ratio (OR)=0.45). Sharing a bedroom before the age of five is associated with a higher risk of severe asthma (OR=1.5) while childhood infections, play school attendance and exposure to allergens or animals are not. A larger proportion of severe asthma patients report symptoms at work (OR=2.7) or have to change jobs (OR=4.3) and fewer severe than mild patients are currently employed (OR=0.39). Smoking and exposure to smoke is similar in mild and severe asthma. Dietary habits do not differ between the groups, but severe asthmatics report eating less savoury snacks and there is a trend for lower intake of sweets., Conclusions: Analysis of the ECRHS questionnaire in the ENFUMOSA study shows that severe asthma patients experience more symptoms and their health status is impaired by their inability to work and perhaps eat freely. Personal and maternal history of allergy is associated with mild but not severe asthma. Other than sharing a bedroom before the age of 5 years, no childhood exposure risk factors associated with severe asthma could be identified from this analysis.