How is asthma diagnosed?
Sometimes asthma may difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to many other respiratory illnesses and infections. As a result, many people are not aware that they have asthma. Often, the only symptoms of asthma might be a cough at night or wheezing during exercise. These signs are often not alarming and are often passed off as bronchitis. To diagnose asthma, doctors will probably look at your medical history and give you a thorough physical examination followed by laboratory tests. One lab test your doctor might use includes spirometry (spy-ROM-uh-tree), where an instrument is used to measure the amount of air taken in and released from the lungs. A similar lab procedure to measure lung capacity is peak flow monitoring. Chest X-rays as well as blood and allergy tests may be required for diagnosis. ©2006 Crossroads Mobile. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Asthma can be difficult to diagnose, especially in children under 5 years old. Regular physical exams that include checks of lung function and checks for allergies can help in making the right diagnosis. A health-care provider trying to diagnose asthma will ask you questions about coughing, especially coughing at night, and whether breathing problems are worse after physical activity or during a particular time of year. The provider will ask about other symptoms, such as chest tightness, wheezing, and colds lasting more than 10 days. He or she will ask about your family history of asthma, allergy, and other breathing problems. Other questions will be about your home environment and about lost school or work days and limits to your activity. Testing of lung function, called spirometry, is another way to diagnose asthma. A spirometer is a piece of equipment that measures the largest amount of air you can exhale after taking a very deep breath. Airflow can be measured before and after you
Some things your doctor will ask about include: • Periods of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or chest tightness that come on suddenly or occur often or seem to happen during certain times of year or season • Colds that seem to “go to the chest” or take more than 10 days to get over • Medicines you may have used to help your breathing • Your family history of asthma and allergies • What things seem to cause asthma symptoms or make them worse. Your doctor will listen to your breathing and look for signs of asthma or allergies. Your doctor will probably use a device called a spirometer (speh-ROM-et-er) to check your airways. This test is called spirometry (speh-ROM-eh-tree). The test measures how much air and how fast you can blow air out of your lungs after taking a deep breath. The results will be lower than normal if your airways are inflamed and narrowed, as in asthma, or if the muscles around your airways have tightened up. As part of the test, your doctor may give you a med
