Does mild asthma prevent conscription?

Yes. The mild degree falls under clause «v» of article 52, which gives category V in column I — "limited fitness". That is the peculiarity of asthma: unlike most articles, where mild forms leave you fit, here the category is the same for mild and moderate degrees. The distinction between clauses matters only for column III.

Which numbers establish the degree?

FEV1 and PEF as percentages of predicted between attacks, plus their daily variability. Above 80 % of predicted with variability under 20 % — mild; 60–80 % with 20–30 % — moderate; below 60 % with over 30 % — severe. Without spirometry showing those figures the case cannot be assigned to a clause.

Is a hospital stay required?

It depends on when the asthma was detected. Where signs are newly detected, assessment follows only after an inpatient examination — that is a direct provision. But if the diagnosis is long-standing and supported by documents on inpatient treatment and requests for care, a conclusion may be issued without repeat admission (except for conscript servicemen).

I have had no attacks for five years — am I exempt?

Not necessarily, and the norm cuts both ways. If bronchial reactivity remains altered, the case falls under clause «v» and category V even after five years of remission. But if bronchoprovocation tests show no altered reactivity, the article does not apply at all. The test results decide, not the length of the quiet spell.

What if the asthma is allergic?

Article 52 does not divide asthma by its nature — degree and documentation are what matter. An allergy work-up helps substantiate the diagnosis and shape therapy: what immunoglobulin E shows and how results read is covered separately. Where bronchospasm is a complication of another disease, the category follows the article of that underlying disease.

I buy inhalers myself — does that count?

What matters to the board is the therapy regimen recorded by a doctor: which drugs, at what doses, for how long. The regulation ties the clauses directly to the volume of treatment — high doses of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators point to the severe and moderate degrees. Self-purchased medication without chart entries does not serve that role.

Asthma was confused with bronchitis — what now?

These are different conditions under different articles: chronic bronchitis is assessed by other criteria, and code J20 describes acute bronchitis. The distinction rests on respiratory function and the reversibility of obstruction — the same spirometry with a test. If the records are confused, it is worth resolving before the board.

How do I tell what my records are missing?

Check for three things: spirometry with FEV1 and PEF as percentages of predicted, an assessment of daily variability, and a recorded therapy regimen. If the asthma is in remission, add a bronchoprovocation result. The completeness of everything collected can be checked with a review against the Schedule of Diseases.

Bronchial Asthma and Military Service: What Article 52 Decides

Respiratory systemAugust 11, 2026

Reviewed by the LabReadAI medical team

Bronchial Asthma and Military Service: What Article 52 Decides

The short answer: bronchial asthma prevents conscription at any degree of severity. This is a rare case where the article of the Schedule of Diseases is that direct: mild and moderate degrees both yield category V in column I, while the severe degree yields D. The question at the board is not "which degree do I have" but a different one entirely: is the diagnosis documented the way article 52 requires.

Which fitness category bronchial asthma yields

Degree	Clause	Column I (conscription)	Column III (contract)
Severe	«a»	D — unfit	D
Moderate	«b»	V — limited fitness	B (V - IND)
Mild, and absence of symptoms for 5+ years with persisting altered bronchial reactivity	«v»	V — limited fitness	B

Note that for a conscript the difference between clauses «b» and «v» changes nothing — both roads lead to category V. It matters in column III, where the moderate degree gives "B (V - IND)" and the mild one plain B.

The numbers that separate the degrees

The regulation describes the degrees not through wellbeing but through respiratory function — FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second) and PEF (peak expiratory flow), measured between attacks.

Severe degree, clause «a»:

bronchial asthma with frequent exacerbations, persistent daytime symptoms or status asthmaticus, significant limitation of physical activity, with daily variability of peak expiratory flow (PEF) or forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) of more than 30 percent and PEF or FEV1 below 60 percent of predicted values between attacks

Moderate degree, clause «b»:

bronchial asthma with daily symptoms relieved by various bronchodilators, with daily variability of PEF or FEV1 of 20–30 percent and PEF or FEV1 of 60–80 percent of predicted values between attacks

Mild degree, clause «v»:

bronchial asthma with short-lived symptoms less than once a day, easily relieved by bronchodilators, with no symptoms and normal lung function between exacerbations, with daily variability of PEF or FEV1 under 20 percent and PEF or FEV1 above 80 percent of predicted values between attacks

The practical consequence: spirometry with values as a percentage of predicted is the key document. "Asthma in the history" without numbers proves nothing.

Therapy as evidence of degree

The regulation ties the clauses directly to the volume of treatment. For the severe degree: "constant use of high doses of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators, or the use of systemic corticosteroids, is required". For the moderate: "daily treatment with inhaled corticosteroids in high and medium doses and long-acting bronchodilators is required".

Prescriptions in the chart are therefore not a formality but direct evidence of degree. A therapy regimen written by a pulmonologist works alongside spirometry.

Bronchoprovocation and inpatient work-up: when each is needed

Here article 52 draws an important distinction:

Assessment where signs of bronchial asthma are newly detected is carried out only after examination in inpatient conditions.

Where bronchial asthma is confirmed by medical documents on inpatient treatment and requests for medical care, a conclusion on the fitness category of citizens assessed under columns I, II and III of the schedule of diseases (except conscript servicemen) may be issued without an inpatient examination.

So if asthma is detected for the first time right before the board, a hospital stay is mandatory. If the diagnosis is long-standing and supported by records of admissions and visits, no repeat inpatient examination is required.

Five symptom-free years: an important proviso

Clause «v» includes the case of "absence of symptoms for 5 years or more with persisting altered bronchial reactivity" — meaning that even after a long remission the category remains V while reactivity is altered. But the norm has a mirror side:

The absence of bronchial asthma symptoms for 5 years or more, where altered bronchial reactivity is absent as confirmed by pharmacological and (or) physical bronchoprovocation tests, is not grounds for applying this article.

The key words are confirmed by tests. Five quiet years decide nothing on their own: a bronchoprovocation result is required. If the tests show altered reactivity, the article applies; if not, it does not apply at all.

What your records must contain

Spirometry with FEV1 and PEF as percentages of predicted, and an assessment of daily variability.
Bronchoprovocation test results — pharmacological or physical.
The therapy regimen: which drugs, at what doses, for how long.
Discharge summaries from admissions and records of requests for care.
The chart code is J45; it records asthma but neither the degree nor lung function.
For allergic forms — the work-up: what immunoglobulin E shows and how allergy testing is done.

What is usually missing

There is a diagnosis but no spirometry with percentages of predicted.
Daily variability of PEF was never measured — and that is exactly what separates the clauses.
No bronchoprovocation tests despite a long remission.
Inhalers were bought without prescriptions, so no therapy regimen appears in the chart.
Asthma is confused with bronchitis: different articles and different criteria, and code J20 describes an entirely different condition.
Breathlessness is recorded as a complaint but not linked to any work-up; what generally lies behind it is covered in the review of causes of breathlessness.

Questions for your doctor

What are my FEV1 and PEF as percentages of predicted between attacks?
What is the daily variability of those values?
Were bronchoprovocation tests performed, and with what result?
Which therapy regimen is recorded in my chart, and at what doses?
Are there discharge summaries from admissions for asthma?

Asthma at departmental boards

The above concerns assessment under Government Decree No. 565. The Interior Ministry, National Guard, Federal Security Service and Emergencies Ministry use their own schedules of diseases, with different requirements for respiratory conditions. A review under article 52 shows how complete your records are but is not their regulation.

The short version

Asthma is one of the few articles where severity does not change the outcome for a conscript: mild and moderate both give category V, severe gives D. All the work therefore goes into documenting the diagnosis: spirometry as a percentage of predicted, daily variability, bronchoprovocation tests and a therapy regimen. Those are precisely the numbers most often missing. Only the military medical board determines the fitness category.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The mild degree falls under clause «v» of article 52, which gives category V in column I — "limited fitness". That is the peculiarity of asthma: unlike most articles, where mild forms leave you fit, here the category is the same for mild and moderate degrees. The distinction between clauses matters only for column III.
FEV1 and PEF as percentages of predicted between attacks, plus their daily variability. Above 80 % of predicted with variability under 20 % — mild; 60–80 % with 20–30 % — moderate; below 60 % with over 30 % — severe. Without spirometry showing those figures the case cannot be assigned to a clause.
It depends on when the asthma was detected. Where signs are newly detected, assessment follows only after an inpatient examination — that is a direct provision. But if the diagnosis is long-standing and supported by documents on inpatient treatment and requests for care, a conclusion may be issued without repeat admission (except for conscript servicemen).
Not necessarily, and the norm cuts both ways. If bronchial reactivity remains altered, the case falls under clause «v» and category V even after five years of remission. But if bronchoprovocation tests show no altered reactivity, the article does not apply at all. The test results decide, not the length of the quiet spell.
Article 52 does not divide asthma by its nature — degree and documentation are what matter. An allergy work-up helps substantiate the diagnosis and shape therapy: what immunoglobulin E shows and how results read is covered separately. Where bronchospasm is a complication of another disease, the category follows the article of that underlying disease.
What matters to the board is the therapy regimen recorded by a doctor: which drugs, at what doses, for how long. The regulation ties the clauses directly to the volume of treatment — high doses of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators point to the severe and moderate degrees. Self-purchased medication without chart entries does not serve that role.
These are different conditions under different articles: chronic bronchitis is assessed by other criteria, and code J20 describes acute bronchitis. The distinction rests on respiratory function and the reversibility of obstruction — the same spirometry with a test. If the records are confused, it is worth resolving before the board.
Check for three things: spirometry with FEV1 and PEF as percentages of predicted, an assessment of daily variability, and a recorded therapy regimen. If the asthma is in remission, add a bronchoprovocation result. The completeness of everything collected can be checked with a review against the Schedule of Diseases.

#Schedule of Diseases #Code J45 #Causes of breathlessness #Allergy testing

For informational purposes only

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult a healthcare professional for medical guidance.

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