Rising to the GINA Asthma Challenge: thinking beyond just asthma.

We welcome the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Asthma Challenge outlined in the recent editorial by FITZGERALD et al. [1], which discussed the goal of achieving a 50% reduction in hospital admissions due to asthma over the next 5 yrs. However, successfully addressing this challenge requires an understanding of the complex nature of asthma. Our evolving understanding of asthma shows it to be a heterogeneous state with numerous phenotypes influenced by many aggravating factors. All these factors will need addressing to meet the GINA Asthma Challenge effectively.