Disease: asthma
Question: for asthma, diagnosis and types?
Answer: There�s no single test or exam that will determine if you or your child has asthma. Instead, your doctor will use a variety of criteria to determine if the symptoms are the result of asthma.
The following can help diagnose
asthma:
Health history. If you have family members with the breathing disorder, your risk is higher. Alert your doctor to this genetic connection.
Physical exam. Your doctor will listen to your breathing with a stethoscope. You may also be given a skin test to look for signs of an allergic reaction, such as hives or eczema. Allergies increase your risk for asthma.
Breathing tests. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) measure airflow into and out of your lungs. For the most common test, spirometry, you blow into a device that measures the speed of the air.
Doctors don�t typically perform breathing tests in children under 5 years of age because it�s difficult to get an accurate reading.
Instead, they may prescribe asthma medications to your child and wait to see if symptoms improve. If they do, your child likely has asthma.
For adults, your doctor may prescribe a bronchodilator or other asthma medication if test results indicate asthma. If symptoms improve with the use of this medication, your doctor will continue to treat your condition as asthma.
Your doctor will also need to determine the type of asthma you have. The most common type is allergic asthma, representing 60 percent
of all cases of asthma.
Additional types of asthma are related to a person�s stage in life. Though asthma can appear at any age, pediatric asthma specifically affects children and adult-onset asthma doesn�t appear until adulthood.
Other specific types of asthma are described below.
Allergic asthma
Allergens trigger this common type of asthma. These might include:
pet dander from animals like cats and dogs
food
mold
pollen
dust
Allergic asthma is often seasonal because it goes hand-in-hand with seasonal allergies.
Non-allergic asthma
Irritants in the air not related to allergies trigger this type of asthma. These irritants might include:
burning wood
cigarette smoke
cold air
air pollution
viral illnesses
air fresheners
household cleaning products
perfumes
Occupational asthma
Occupational asthma is a type of asthma induced by triggers in the workplace. These include:
dust
dyes
gases and fumes
industrial chemicals
animal proteins
rubber latex
These irritants can exist in a wide range of industries, including:
farming
textiles
woodworking
manufacturing
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB)
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) usually affects people within a few minutes of starting exercise and up to 10 to 15 minutes after physical activity.
This condition was previously known as exercise-induced asthma (EIA).
Up to 90 percent of people with asthma also experience EIB, but not everyone with EIB will have other types of asthma.
Aspirin-induced asthma
Aspirin-induced asthma (AIA), also called aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), is usually severe.
It�s triggered by taking aspirin or another NSAID, such as naproxen (Aleve) or ibuprofen (Advil).
The symptoms may begin within minutes or hours. People with AIA also typically have nasal polyps.
About 9 percent of people with asthma have AIA. It usually develops suddenly in adults between the ages of 20 and 50.
Nocturnal asthma
In this type of asthma, symptoms worsen at night.
Triggers that are thought to bring on symptoms at night include:
heartburn
pet dander
dust mites
The body�s natural sleep cycle may also trigger nocturnal asthma.
Cough-variant asthma (CVA)
Cough-variant asthma (CVA) doesn�t have classic asthma symptoms of wheezing and shortness of breath. It�s characterized by a persistent, dry cough.
If it�s not treated, CVA can lead to full-blown asthma flares that include the other more common symptoms.