Last Updated on March 9, 2022 by Neelam Singh
Asthma is a symptomatic condition that arises in response to allergens in the environment. Due to this, a general physician can confirm asthma with a preliminary analysis of the prevailing symptoms. If you are having the symptoms, the doctor can ask you about the specific symptoms you frequently have. Moreover, the doctor can also ask you about the duration and frequency of the symptoms. The doctor will ask more questions to assess your triggers and can focus more on pertaining allergies or family history of asthma.
The preliminary analysis is difficult to conduct among children below the age of five years. Also, a doctor cannot conduct tests to confirm asthma. In such a scenario, a doctor can prescribe children a mild inhaler till the age of five years or above to relieve symptoms.
In case of adults or elderly people, there are various tests available that can confirm asthma. The most common tests are spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) test and peak flow test.
The fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) test measures the level of nitric oxide in the body. For this test, you are asked to breathe on a machine to measure the level of nitric oxide in the lungs. If you have inflammation in the airway then the percentage of nitric oxide will be high.
The peak flow test measures the speed of breathing that includes both in and out. This test also asks you to breathe on a device to measure how fast you can breathe. If you are suffering from the symptoms of asthma, then you may have difficulty in breathing.
The spirometry test also records the speed of breathing but it checks how much air you can hold in your lungs. If you are suffering from asthma, it is expected that the amount of air will be less in comparison to unaffected lungs.
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