OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the patient's acute asthma characteristics, and identify predictors of asthma control in a population of asthma patients from five Latin American countries.  METHODS: Adults and parents of adolescents (12-17 years) with a physician diagnosed asthma and asthma medication use or asthma attacks in the past year were surveyed as part of the 2011 Latin America Asthma Insights and Management (AIM) survey. Using Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines as a reference, respondents were categorized into three levels of asthma control: well-controlled, partly- controlled, and uncontrolled. Chi-square tests and adjusted logistic regression were used to determine odds ratios (ORs) to assess the relation of degree of asthma control with frequency of sudden asthma episodes, frequency of asthma symptoms, duration of episodes, day-and night time symptoms, utilization of rescue medications, and asthma episodes seasonality. RESULTS: Data from 2168 adults and parents from asthma patients ≥12 years survey was analyzed . Seven percent (7%) of the patients are controlled,  57% partially controlled, and 36% uncontrolled.  Adjusted logistic regression models showed that patients whose asthma was uncontrolled were significantly more likely to have acute sudden asthma episodes compared to patients whose asthma was controlled either partially or fully. Similarly, patients with uncontrolled asthma were significantly more likely to have higher frequency of asthma episodes in most days of the week,  increased day and night symptoms than those asthmatics who were controlled CONCLUSIONS: Patients who did not have well-controlled asthma had more acute episodes as compared to patients whose asthma was well-controlled. Our results strongly suggest that the acute asthma requires a significant effort to decrease its severity.