Diagnosis of asthma

Diagnosing Asthma

When you think about asthma, you may immediately picture a person wheezing and gasping for breath until he or she takes an inhaler. Asthma is serious and if left untreated, it could lead to severe medical problems, and in very severe cases, death. It is imperative that children and adults alike seek help when they suffer from these attacks. Diagnosing asthma is not all too difficult for doctors and it is a relatively painless process for the patient.

Here is a look at how asthma is diagnosed.

• Physical Exam: The first thing that your doctor will want to do in order to assess asthma is a complete and thorough health and physical exam. Your doctor is looking for your general health as assessing your problems with upper respiratory issues. Your health care provider will want to know if you have a family history of asthma and allergies. Allergic conditions can point straight to asthma. He or she may also listen to your breathing to listen for signs of wheezing or other labored breathing.
• Lung Test: The next step is to test the function of your lungs. This is not a difficult test and children and adults can take part in this test. A tool called a spirometry is used to measuring the maximum about of air your can take in and out. It will also measure the amount of air you can exhale in one second. The spirometry is a small machine that you will breath into to measure the air. If the measurements are abnormal, he or she may want to perform the test again. Other tests may be ordered. A challenge test is another common asthma test that is performed in a doctor’s office. Your doctor will attempt to trigger an asthmatic reaction while you are under supervision.