Summary: Exacerbations are unfavorable phenomenon in asthma and may occur in any patient. They are potentially health and life-threatening, but also exacerbations are one of risk factors for poor outcome ‒ they increase the risk of subsequent exacerbations and accelerate the deterioration of lung function. They were considered the main prognostic factor for patients suffering from asthma. In this article, authors describe the changes in their importance in asthma patentsʼ care from the first to the current GINA report and identify treatments that reduce the risk of their occurrence, and their position in asthma therapy guidelines.