Asthma Diagnosis and Testing

Diagnosis of Asthma

 Correct diagnosis plays a very crucial role in the treatment of it. After a thorough assessment of your asthma triggers and symptoms, your physician can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe an appropriate treatment strategy.

The following steps are involved in the diagnosis of it:

Step 1 in diagnosing it is Medical History

Step 2: Physical Examination

Step 3: There are certain important asthma tests your physician can use in diagnosing asthma such as pulmonary (lung) function tests, allergy tests, or blood tests.

Step 1 Medical History

The medical history helps your physician in identifying the symptoms that are likely to be caused by asthma, triggers, as well as any other co-existing conditions. To get a better picture of your symptoms and condition, the physician will ask certain questions, which will help in the correct diagnosis of asthma. Typical questions during medical history assessment can include:

Have you had a sudden severe episode or recurrent episodes of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath?If yes, then are all the above symptoms more prominent in a particular season or any particular time of the year? Are these symptoms more prominent? Night In the morning After running or moderate exercise If you said “yes,” then the physician will ask more questions Have you kept any pet(s) at your place? Are you more exposed to tobacco smoke or outdoor pollution? Are you aware of any triggers that cause breathing problems? What is your job profile? (This question is generally asked to check whether you are suffering from occupational asthma or not) Do you have any family history of asthma? Have you ever taken any medication(s) to get rid of these symptoms?

 Step 2: Physical Examination

In the physical examination, your physician will look for signs and symptoms of this, such as:

• The appearance of hunched shoulders
• Chest deformity
• Increased nasal secretion and mucosal swelling
• Sounds of wheezing during breathing

Step 3: There are certain important asthma tests your physician can use in diagnosing asthma such as pulmonary (lung) function tests, allergy tests, or blood tests.

Pulmonary (Lung) Function Tests

• Spirometry
• Peak flow meter