Asthma is a chronic condition of the lungs that makes breathing difficult.
Someone who suffers from the condition has a hyper-responsive airway that gets irritated during an asthma attack, and reacts by becoming restricted.
This leads to less air being able to reach the lungs, and less oxygen getting into their body.
Some of the potential symptoms of an asthma condition include: - Tightness in the chest - Runny nose - Difficulty breathing - Persistent cough - Itchy throat - Wheezing If someone exhibits any of these symptoms on a regular and persistent basis, they should consult with their doctor or an allergist as soon as possible.
The earlier you get a proper diagnosis of asthma, the better as it will be easier to treat and the treatment more likely to be effective.
Your doctor will likely ask how often you experience any or all of these symptoms, what other medications you are taking, and whether or not there is a history of asthma or other allergies in your family.
They might also use a tool called a spirometer to check the function of your airways.
A spirometer measures your lung capacity and how quickly you can blow the air out of your lungs.
When the airways are restricted due to asthma, the airflow will be limited more than normal.
If the spirometer test determines that your airflow is lower than what it should be, the doctor may give you a prescription to help open your airways, at which point they can run the test again and check for improvement.
If the results of your test are normal but you're still exhibiting symptoms of asthma you may need to have further tests done to determine the reason.
These tests could include: - Allergy testing - Tests for sinus disease - Testing airflow and lung capacity after exercising - Peak flow tests - GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) tests Other tests may also be necessary, such as an ECG or chest x-ray, to ensure that there is not some other type of lung or heart disease causing the problem, since many of the symptoms are similar.
Someone who suffers from the condition has a hyper-responsive airway that gets irritated during an asthma attack, and reacts by becoming restricted.
This leads to less air being able to reach the lungs, and less oxygen getting into their body.
Some of the potential symptoms of an asthma condition include: - Tightness in the chest - Runny nose - Difficulty breathing - Persistent cough - Itchy throat - Wheezing If someone exhibits any of these symptoms on a regular and persistent basis, they should consult with their doctor or an allergist as soon as possible.
The earlier you get a proper diagnosis of asthma, the better as it will be easier to treat and the treatment more likely to be effective.
Your doctor will likely ask how often you experience any or all of these symptoms, what other medications you are taking, and whether or not there is a history of asthma or other allergies in your family.
They might also use a tool called a spirometer to check the function of your airways.
A spirometer measures your lung capacity and how quickly you can blow the air out of your lungs.
When the airways are restricted due to asthma, the airflow will be limited more than normal.
If the spirometer test determines that your airflow is lower than what it should be, the doctor may give you a prescription to help open your airways, at which point they can run the test again and check for improvement.
If the results of your test are normal but you're still exhibiting symptoms of asthma you may need to have further tests done to determine the reason.
These tests could include: - Allergy testing - Tests for sinus disease - Testing airflow and lung capacity after exercising - Peak flow tests - GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) tests Other tests may also be necessary, such as an ECG or chest x-ray, to ensure that there is not some other type of lung or heart disease causing the problem, since many of the symptoms are similar.