How is Asthma Diagnosed?

Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs leading to symptoms of wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and a tightness feeling in the chest. Acute symptoms are caused by smooth muscles contracting around the airways, although underlying inflammation is often present as well.

A diagnosis of asthma is made when there are symptoms consistent with asthma, and the symptoms respond to asthma medications. However, asthma specialists such as allergists and pulmonologists will also measure lung function (such as with spirometry) to confirm a diagnosis. After all, not all that wheezes is asthma, and not every person with asthma has all of the classic symptoms.

Kathleen MacNaughton, RN, runs the asthma.about.com site, and has lots of useful information on how asthma is diagnosed and treated. I highly recommend checking out this site for anyone recently diagnosed with asthma, and as a refresher for those who've had asthma for years!