Asthma Tests

Physicians use a variety of techniques to determine if a person has asthma, and to manage asthma treatment. These include tests that:

1) Measure how efficiently a patient’s lungs are working. This may include pulmonary function tests and arterial blood gas tests.

2) Identify allergens or other factors that might trigger asthma symptoms. Tests for this purpose may include bronchoprovocation tests and allergy skin tests. Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes that can lead to breathing problems.

3) Most asthma tests take place at a medical facility, but some – such as testing with a peak flow meter – can be performed by an individual at home. Experts agree that asthma tests present little or no risk of harm to the patient when done correctly.

4) The results of asthma tests may lead to a physician prescribing asthma medication and offering other preventative-care advice to individuals diagnosed with asthma. Once a person has been diagnosed with asthma, some tests will be repeated on a scheduled basis to monitor treatments.