Asthma diagnosis typically involves a review of your symptoms and some straightforward tests conducted by a healthcare professional. Often, your general practitioner (GP) can make a diagnosis, though they might refer you to a specialist for more complex cases or if the diagnosis is uncertain.
What to Expect When Seeing Your Doctor
When you visit your GP to discuss concerns about asthma, they will start by gathering information about your health and symptoms. This often includes questions about:
- The specific symptoms you are experiencing, such as wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.
- When these symptoms occur, how frequently you experience them, and what time of day they are usually worse.
- Potential triggers that seem to worsen your symptoms, such as exercise, allergens, cold air, or irritants.
- Your medical history, particularly any existing conditions like eczema or allergies, and whether there is a family history of asthma or allergies.
Based on this initial assessment, your doctor may recommend specific tests to confirm an asthma diagnosis. It’s important to note that these tests can be challenging to perform accurately in very young children. In such cases, a doctor might prescribe an asthma inhaler to see if it alleviates symptoms while the child matures enough for formal testing.
Key Tests for Asthma Diagnosis
Several tests are instrumental in diagnosing asthma and assessing lung function:
FeNO Test (Fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide)
The FeNO test is a simple breathing test that measures the amount of nitric oxide in your breath. Elevated levels of nitric oxide are often indicative of inflammation in the lungs, a common characteristic of asthma. You will be asked to breathe into a machine that analyzes your breath for nitric oxide levels.
Spirometry
Spirometry is a lung function test that measures how much air you can inhale and exhale, and how quickly you can breathe out. During spirometry, you will breathe into a mouthpiece connected to a spirometer machine. This test helps determine if your airways are narrowed, a key sign of asthma.
Peak Flow Test
A peak flow test measures how fast you can forcefully exhale air, indicating the capacity of your lungs and airways. This test is performed using a handheld device called a peak flow meter. You might be asked to perform peak flow tests regularly over a period of weeks to monitor changes in your breathing and identify patterns that support an asthma diagnosis.
Further Investigations
After an asthma diagnosis, or sometimes to rule out other conditions, additional tests might be recommended. These can include a chest X-ray to visualize the lungs and rule out other lung conditions, or allergy tests to identify potential allergy triggers that might be contributing to your asthma symptoms.
