Care for Individuals with Dyspnea

Asthma – Diagnosis And Treatment

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Overview

When a person has asthma, they often cough, wheeze, have difficulty in breathing and have breaths that are short in length. These symptoms can be severe, and they can lead to being in a situation in which your life is in jeopardy. When a person has asthma, they often cough, wheeze, have difficulty in breathing and have breaths that are short in length. These symptoms can be severe, and they can lead to being in a situation in which your life is in jeopardy.

Asthma is caused by the airways narrowing and swelling, and in return produce extra mucus. There are triggers to asthma, which can be any type of condition or activity that causes this in the individual.

In order to diagnose asthma, doctors do not use one specific test. Instead, they look at the symptoms that a person may be experiencing and the causes of these symptoms. For those who are above the age of 6 years old, a lung test can be done to see how much air is flowing and out of the lungs. Due to this age restriction, it can be hard to diagnose asthma in kids that are younger.

Record your Symptoms

If you believe that asthma could be at the root of your issue, keep a diary of the symptoms that you are experiencing to talk about with your doctor. You can even make a video of the wheezing so that your doctor can see and listen to this as well. The diary should include:

  • When these symptoms occur, noting them down day or night
  • How often these symptoms happen
  • How bad are these symptoms?
  • State what you were doing before the attack happened, for example, around animals or just got finished with exercise

Diagnosing Asthma

You should visit a doctor if you are worried about your symptoms or have a child that is showing these types of symptoms. Times to consider a visit to the doctor are:

  • If the wheezing is happening more than once
  • The cough is constant or becomes worse
  • Breathing issues that have you concerned

The Lung Function Test

The Lung Function Test is also known as spirometry. This measures the flow of air in and out of the lungs to show how the lungs are working. In order to perform the test, the patient will blow into a tube as hard as possible for a few seconds. The test measure how much air was pushed through the tube, as well as the measurements of the lungs.

Other tests

There are some health disorders that may make asthma tougher to treat and manage. Two of these disorders are acid reflux disease, normally referred to as GERD and also known as “heartburn’’ and sinusitis. If your GP has determined that you have asthma, they may also assess you for these disorders in order for it to be managed.

 Related Video On Asthma

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