The nominalist definition acknowledges asthma as an abnormality of the airways, typically comprising of variable airflow limitation over short periods of time, hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation (1). The severity of asthma has primarily been assessed by the level of treatment required to control symptoms and exacerbations, with corticosteroids (inhaled and/or oral) as the mainstay treatment for suppressing the overall inflammatory component (2). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.