In this part of the series we will talk about the available diagnostic methods.
Asthma is diagnosed in primary care settings through a comprehensive medical history, family history, physical examination and lung function tests.
Your primary care physician will determine the severity of your asthma, which in turn will affect the treatment you require.
Direction to a respirator in the following situations:
- Special tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis of asthma.
- There is a history of life threatening asthma attack.
- Treatment of specific allergies
- Polypharmacy (several drugs) is needed to fight asthma
Important points about your medical counseling include:
- Family history of asthma and allergies
- Frequency of asthma attacks
- The timing of asthma attacks, especially if it occurs only at certain times of the year, day, or in certain places.
- Triggers for specific asthma
- Associated conditions during an asthma attack, such as simultaneous infection of the upper respiratory tract, reflux disease, stress, sleep apnea, etc.
Physical examination will include:
- Auscultation by your primary doctor to listen to wheezing in the lungs
- Examination of the upper respiratory tract, sinuses and upper nasal passages for existing diseases of the upper respiratory tract
- Examination for other signs of allergic conditions, such as eczema
Lung function tests
Lung spirometry is a type of lung function test that measures the amount of air that you breathe in and out and its speed.
Some respiratory therapists will use drugs to "cure" existing asthma and repeat the lung function tests to see if there are any improvements. This is usually done if chronic asthma is suspected. This is also done when the diagnosis of asthma is unclear.
Related Tests for Asthma
Other tests performed by respiratory therapists may include:
- Allergy Testing
- Perform Bronchus tests to “launch” a controlled asthma attack.
- Chest straps
- Electrocardiogram (ECG).
Many children develop asthmatic symptoms up to 5 years and it is difficult to diagnose asthma in young children, because the symptoms are often present along with many other childhood illnesses.
The reason is that children have small airways. For example, any respiratory diseases with the formation of mucus will further constrict their respiratory tract, causing wheezing, thereby mimicking asthma. As the child grows up, the airways increase, and wheezing stops sounding.
However, asthma should be suspected if:
- One or both parents have asthma
- Other allergic conditions, such as eczema
- A history of pollen or hay fever allergies is present.
- Whistling is heard even when the baby is healthy.
