Asthma is the most common chronic illness to affect children and is a major cause of morbidity in adults, affecting 4~17% of children and 7.3~10.1% of adults, which translates to approximately 300 million people globally. This article reviews recently published data over the past 1~2 years on asthma, and covers the 3 aspects of current advancement for the diagnosis of severe asthma, including the controversy to long-acting bronchodilator treatment for treatment of asthma, and the role of long-acting anticholinergics treatment in asthma patients.