Asthma
There's no single test for asthma, but it can usually be diagnosed from your symptoms and some simple breathing tests.
Your GP will often be able to diagnose asthma. But they may refer you to a specialist if they're not sure what's causing your symptoms.
Your GP may ask:
The tests below may be used to help confirm the diagnosis, although they aren't always practical particularly in young children.
If your GP feels tests aren't needed, he or she may just give you or your child an asthma inhaler to use for a short time. If this helps, it's likely you or your child have asthma.
Two simple breathing tests are sometimes used to help your doctor diagnose asthma.
A test called spirometry can help show how well your lungs and airways are working.
It involves breathing out as fast as you can through a mouthpiece attached to a machine called a spirometer.
The spirometer takes two measurements the amount of air you breathe out in the first second and the total amount of air you can hold in your lungs.
The readings are compared with a normal measurement for someone of your age, gender and height to work out if your airways are narrow.
Sometimes the test may be repeated a few minutes after taking a puff from an asthma inhaler to see if your result improves. If your breathing tubes are narrow at the time of the test, a better result after using an inhaler means it's likely you have asthma.
A peak flow test is a simple test to measure how fast you can blow air out of your lungs in one breath.
It involves breathing out as quickly and as hard as you can into a small device called a peak flow meter.
The result is compared to what's normal for someone of your age, height and gender.
You may be given a peak flow meter to take home to record your peak flow over a period of weeks, particularly if asthma is suspected but your peak flow and spirometry are normal when measured, as asthma symptoms and peak flow can vary over time.
To help diagnose work-related asthma , you may be asked to measure your peakflow at work and away from work.
Occasionally, you may be referred to a specialist doctor for further tests to confirm or rule out asthma.
An airway responsiveness test is a test that measures how your airways react to an asthma trigger .
During the test, you'll usually be asked to breathe in a medication thatwill irritate ornarrow your airways slightly if you have asthma. You'll then have a spirometry test to check if your breathing is affected.
In some cases, exercise may be used as a trigger instead of medication.
Sometimes it's useful to check for inflammation in your airways.
This can be done in two ways:
If your doctor thinks your symptoms may be triggered by an allergy, they may recommend allergy tests to find out what you're allergic to.
Common allergy tests include:
Tests can also be carried out to see if you are allergic or sensitive to substances known to cause work-related asthma .
Want to know more?
Asthma is a common lung condition that causes occasional breathing difficulties. It affects people of all ages and often starts in childhood, although it can also appear for the first time in adults.
Most children and adults with asthma find they have times when their breathing becomes more difficult. Asthma symptoms can sometimes get worse for a short time known as an asthma attack.
Factors such as a genes, air pollution, chlorine in swimming pools and modern hygiene standards have been suggested as possible causes, but there's not currently enough evidence to be certain whether any of these do cause asthma.
There's no single test for asthma, but it can usually be diagnosed from your symptoms and some simple breathing tests. Your GP will often be able to diagnose asthma.
Everyone with asthma should be able to lead a full and unrestricted life. The treatments available for asthma are effective for most people.
It's important to take any prescribed medication regularly, as this can help keep your symptoms under control and prevent severe asthma attacks.
Olwen Fish, from Waterhead, Oldham, has had asthma since 1950. She feels lucky to have survived to see the huge increase in effective medication and now lives life to the full.
Mother of three Rosemary Matthews first experienced asthma in her teenage years. "My asthma is under control now. I self-manage it, but I have had to make lifestyle changes in recent years." she says.
Shamim Arshad, who found that walking regularly helped her control her asthma. "My confidence has increased and I've reduced the number of inhalers I need from four to one." she says