Steroid-resistant asthma.

Steroid-resistant asthma (SRA) refers to patients with symptoms consistent with asthma who show very poor or no response at all to high doses of inhaled or even of systemic corticosteroids. The current article reviews the SRA related literature focusing on the problems associated with the definition of SRA (especially its association with difficult to control, or severe asthma), its various phenotypes, its molecular basis, and the potential treatment options. The article also discusses the limitations of some of the key criteria used for the determination of SRA and proposes a modified set of criteria that are more applicable to children.