Diagnosis of Asthma

The usual starting point is a visit to your doctor for a physical exam. This appointment will probably include:

• A review of your family's health history
• A discussion of your own personal medical history
• A physical exam, during which your doctor will listen to your breathing.
• Laboratory tests that measure lung function.
• Tests for allergies.

Once you and your doctor know what kind of asthma you have, and what your asthma triggers are, you can work together to develop a treatment plan that meets your needs. This plan may include medication, lifestyle changes, and avoidance of triggers.

There are two kinds of medicines that are prescribed to treat asthma:

• Maintenance medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs help to prevent and reduce inflammation and swelling of the airways. They are an important part of long-term management of asthma symptoms. Long-acting bronchodilators are also available for the long-term control of daytime symptoms, nocturnal asthma, and exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB).
• Quick-relief, or "rescue" medications such as short-acting bronchodilators help provide rapid relief to relax muscles around the airways.