哮喘诊断和治疗

How Is Asthma Diagnosed?

如果您的医生怀疑您患有哮喘，他们将进行身体检查。他们会看着您的耳朵，眼睛，鼻子，喉咙，皮肤，胸部和肺部。该检查可能包括肺功能测试，以检测您能够从肺中呼气的能力。您可能还需要X射线检查肺或鼻窦。

To confirm an asthma diagnosis, your doctor may have you take one or more breathing tests known as lung function tests. These tests measure your breathing and how much air you can hold in your lungs. Lung function tests are often done before and after inhaling a medicine known as a bronchodilator, which opens your airways. If your lung function improves significantly with use of a bronchodilator, you likely have asthma.

If your lung function tests are inconclusive, there are other diagnostic tools that can rule out other causes, like testing for allergies and respiratory infections. If the cause is still unknown, a test known as the methacholine challenge can help clarify. Methacholine is a known asthma trigger that will cause narrowing of the airways in someone with asthma. Testing for how much nitric oxide is in your breath can also help confirm a diagnosis. People with asthma typically have elevated levels.

哮喘诊断意味着您必须积极管理和监测。大多数患有哮喘的人通过有效的治疗计划生活充实而充实的生活。我们在Banner Healt主頁(欢迎您)h的医生致力于帮助患有哮喘的人了解自己的诊断，获得最佳护理和治疗，并有能力有效地管理自己的病情。

治疗哮喘

If you are diagnosed with asthma, your doctor will work with you to create a treatment plan to manage your asthma symptoms and prevent asthma attacks. Treatment usually depends on your age, asthma severity and response to a given treatment option. Your doctor may adjust your treatment until asthma symptoms are controlled.

Most treatment plans include daily medication to help keep symptoms at bay and short-term relief medication to treat symptoms when they arise. These include:

Daily Control Medicines

This type of medication is taken daily, even if you are not experiencing symptoms, and works to reduce your airway inflammation and mucus production. This makes your airways less sensitive to triggers and prevents asthma flare-ups before they happen. Not everyone with asthma needs a long-term control medication. Your health care provider will determine your asthma severity and whether you need one.

Short-term Relief Medicines

Everyone with asthma should have access to quick-relief medication delivered with a metered-dose inhaler. Your quick-relief medication is used to treat asthma symptoms when they first begin. Within 10 to 15 minutes of use, your quick-relief medication should work to reduce squeezing of the muscles around your airways. If you are prescribed a quick-relief asthma inhaler, you should carry it at all times.Learn how to use an inhaler.

When to See a Doctor for Asthma

如果您没有哮喘诊断，但正在经历一些体征和症状，请与您的医生预约进行测试。如果您已经有哮喘的诊断，重要的是要看哮喘医生，无论是您的初级保健医生还是过敏症患者，以便他们可以监控。而且，如果您注意到自己的症状恶化，请预约以查看可能导致的症状或修改您的哮喘行动计划。即使是管理良好的哮喘，有时也可能失控，需要采取其他治疗措施。

If your asthma is worsening despite your treatment plan, it might be time to make an appointment with a doctor.

When to Seek Emergency Treatment for Asthma

Severe asthma attacks can be life-threatening and are cause for serious concern and medical attention. Talk to your doctor to determine what to do when your symptoms worsen and when you need emergency treatment. Signs of an asthma emergency include:

• Rapid worsening of shortness of breath or wheezing
• No improvement even after using a quick-relief inhaler
• Shortness of breath when you are doing minimal physical activity