OBJECTIVES: Data on the impact of asthma in Latin American countries is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between partly- and uncontrolled asthma and asthma-related healthcare outcomes among patients residing in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and the Common wealth of Puerto Rico. METHODS: Adults and parents of adolescents (12-17 years) with 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 utilization of asthma medications, healthcare outcomes, and productivity. RESULTS: Data was available for 2,169 completed surveys.  Overall, 7% of the patients surveyed had asthma that was classified as well-controlled, with the highest proportion in Mexico (9.4%) and the lowest in Venezuela (3.0%). Patients whose asthma was not well-controlled were significantly more likely to report use of asthma medications (ORs ranging from 1.5-42) and to have had emergency healthcare visits or hospitalizations for their asthma in the previous year (ORs ranging from 2.1-5.9). Respondents with uncontrolled asthma also reported significant decreases in  productivity due to asthma compared to patients with well-controlled asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who did not have well-controlled asthma had greater utilization rates of asthma medications and emergency healthcare services compared to patients whose asthma was well-controlled. These associations strongly suggest that emphasis on improving asthma control could have substantial effects on patient productivity and utilization of healthcare resources.