| Diagnosis of Asthma | |||||||
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- What is asthma?
- Symptoms of asthma
- Causes of asthma
- Prevention of asthma
- Risk factors for asthma
- Complications of asthma
- When to see a doctor about asthma
- Diagnosis of asthma
- Conventional treatment of asthma
- Alternative/complementary treatment of asthma
- Living with asthma
- Caring for someone with asthma
Asthma is diagnosed through a series of tests (which basically help to give a good picture of lung health and eliminate other possible causes for the symptoms):
History of symptoms
Your doctor will ask a series of questions about your symptoms, such as:
- When did the symptoms start
- When are the symptoms worse
- How often do the symptoms present
- Rating the severity of the symptoms
Physical examination
Your doctor will use his/her stethoscope to listen to your lungs as you breath in and out deeply. This will be done from the front of your body and from your back too.
If during the physical examination your doctor detects any sounds in your lungs (which are not normal), then further, more comprehensive tests can be undertaken.
Lung function test
Your doctor can refer you to have a lung function test to determine the volume of air in the lungs and severity of symptoms and damage to the lungs from asthma. The main types of lung function tests are:
- Spirometry - this test involves taking deep breaths and exhaling strongly into a special measuring tool which measures the volume of the lungs. This test is done again using a spray of a bronchodilator into the lungs to compare the results and determine if the lung capacity (volume) is the same or better when a bronchodilator is use. This test can give a good indication whether lung volume is impaired (and below average and abnormal), which means that it is caused by asthma
- Challenge test - this test involves replicating airway obstruction and asthma symptoms (usually using a histamine substance, cold air or exercise) and then performing the spirometry test (as described above) with impaired breathing. The test is done again after using a bronchodilator, which eases the constriction in the lungs, to compare the results and determine if breathing ability without the use of a bronchodilator is impaired (and below average or abnormal), indicating that asthma may be present
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Other tests
Your doctor may order other tests if the spirometry or challenge tests prove inconclusive or if other symptoms are present, in order to rule out other conditions. Some of the other tests that can be ordered are:
- Allergy testing - this is done by an allergy specialist who will do a patch test on the skin, using a number of known allergens (you may be asked to bring some of your dust, pet hair and other identified allergens you are exposed to). The patch test will identify quite quickly if an allergy to a certain substance is present, which could mean that it is the cause (or causes) that trigger asthma symptoms
- Blood tests - today some allergy testing can also be done through blood tests (this is usually much less painful than patch testing but is not as reliable). The most common types of allergens that can be tested are for gluten (wheat), cow's milk, peanuts and other foods. In addition to this, blood tests can be used to if there are any nutritional deficiencies (such as omega-3, magnesium or zinc ) which could be exacerbating symptoms and to also test blood sugar levels for hypoglycaemia
- X-ray - an x-ray can show whether there is a lot of scarring in the lung tissue (and can rule out other lung conditions)
- Food sensitivity - children with asthma often have food allergies or sensitivities and much of their subsequent behaviour may be due to this sensitivity; an elimination diet needs to be followed to work out if this food is causing any of the behavioural problems. The most common food sensitivity that can cause behavioural problems are: cow's milk, wheat (or gluten), oranges (and other citrus fruit), chocolate, peanuts, soy, eggs, corn, oats, apples, tomatoes. In order to test a food sensitivity, that food (and foods containing it) must be totally eliminated from the diet for two weeks (as must all foods with any artificial additives) and after that, the food can be re-introduced back into the diet to see if there are any reactions to it. This requires a lot of vigilance and strict monitoring and could be better accomplished with the help of a registered dietician or naturopath
- Heavy metal testing - hair analysis or blood tests should be done to determine if there has been chronic exposure to any heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium or mercury (chelation therapy is usually used to get rid of any heavy metal toxicity in the body, but it needs to be done by a qualified professional) and not all doctors will request this test, although it can be done with some naturopaths
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