Asthma diagnosis is made by the pneumologist or immunoranagenologist by assessing the symptoms that the person presents, such as severe cough, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest for example. In some cases, only the evaluation of symptoms is sufficient to confirm the diagnosis, especially if there is a family history of asthma or allergies.
However, your doctor may also indicate that more tests should be done to check the severity of your asthma, as your doctor may also order the most appropriate treatment.
- The initial diagnosis of asthma is made by your doctor by assessing the signs and symptoms of the person.
- As well as assessing family history and the presence of allergies.
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- Symptoms that can help confirm your asthma diagnosis include:.
Asthma attacks also tend to be more frequent at night and can cause a person to wake up. However, they can also occur at any other time of the day, depending on the trigger. Look for other symptoms that may indicate asthma.
Some information that can help your doctor get to the diagnosis more quickly, in addition to symptoms, includes the duration of seizures, frequency, intensity, what was done at the time the first symptoms appeared, if there are other people in the family with asthma, and if there is an improvement in symptoms after taking a type of treatment.
While asthma is diagnosed only by assessing your signs and symptoms in most cases, testing is sometimes desirable, primarily to verify the severity of the disease.
Thus, the test normally indicated in the case of asthma is spirometry, which aims to identify the presence of a narrowing of the bronchi, which is common in asthma, evaluating the amount of air that can be exhaled after a deep breath and how quickly. the air is expelled. Generally, the results of this test indicate a decrease in the FEV, FEP and FEV/FVC ratio. Learn more about how spirometry is performed.
After clinical evaluation and spirometry, your doctor may also use other tests, such as:
These tests are not always used as they are used to detect other lung problems, such as pneumonia or pneumothorax, for example.
To diagnose asthma, your doctor usually relies on the following parameters:
Once your doctor has diagnosed asthma using these parameters, the severity and type of asthma is determined and therefore the most appropriate treatment may be indicated for the person.
After confirming the diagnosis and recommending treatment, your doctor should identify the severity of your symptoms and understand some of the factors that appear to lead to the onset of symptoms. In this way, it is possible to better adapt the doses of medicines and even the type of medicines used.
The severity of asthma can be classified according to how often and severe symptoms appear:
Affects activities and sleep
Depending on the severity of your asthma, your doctor directs appropriate treatment that usually involves the use of asthma medications, such as anti-inflammatory drugs and bronchodilators. See more details about asthma treatment.
Factors that normally contribute to an asthma attack include respiratory infections, climate change, dust, mold, certain tissues, or medication use. During treatment, it is important to avoid the identified factors to prevent the onset of new seizures and even decrease the intensity of symptoms when they appear.
While some triggers may identify at the time of diagnosis, others can identify over the years, it’s always important to tell your doctor.