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This is also a common question from patients. Many have been labeled with asthma, without ever having been tested. In respiratory school you learn “everything that wheezes is not asthma”. However, many primary care physicians never learn this simple phrase. Thus, they can attach a label to a patient for life, which can have negative effects for insurance coverage in the future.

So, how DO we know it’s asthma?

There is a simple test called a spirometry which is performed at a hospital or physician’s office that can quickly tell you if a person has asthma. It’s a painless test that has you take a deep breath and then blow out forcefully until you can’t blow out any more air. The spirometer measures the amount of air you inhale and exhale, then compares it to a predicted value according to your age, height and weight. Then, we administer a drug called a bronchodilator, such as Albuterol, wait for the drug to have time to take effect, then repeat the tests. This called pre and post bronchodilator testing. The main number we look at on the spirometry to indicate asthma is the FEV1(Forced Expiratory Volume 1st Second). This is the amount of air you can forcefully exhale in the first second. This should be around 80% of the total amount of air you forcefully exhale, known as the FVC (Forced Vital Capacity). If the FEV1 increases by 12% or more, even if the pre bronchodilator number is normal (80-100% of the predicted value), then the diagnosis of asthma is made.

The spirometry is the ONLY test that can diagnose asthma. So if your doctor told you that you have asthma, and you have never had a spirometry test, you should ask him/her to schedule you for a spirometry. This painless test can tell you whether you have asthma, the severity of your asthma if the diagnosis is confirmed, how well you respond to your current medications, and even if your doctor should change your medications to get your asthma under control.

Asthma management starts with you learning everthing you can about how asthma affects you. Question your health care providers. You need to be a partner in your asthma management, for the treatment program to be effective. Remember, asthma can be cured, but it CAN be controlled with proper medication and some common sense things from you.

In future posts we will cover asthma medications and what you can do to help control your asthma. I’ll also give you some other information that will make you a more informed patient. This will give you more control of your asthma, and your life.

As always, you can e-mail questions to me at gdavis@ccstockvideo.com.

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