How to test for asthma?

Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
Updated on January 27, 2025
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Asthma is fully referred to as bronchial asthma. It is primarily due to the presence of inflammatory cells in the airways over a long period of time. These inflammatory cells render the trachea highly reactive. With this hyperreactivity, patients often experience wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, which typically occur in the early morning and at night. These symptoms can generally be alleviated with or without medication, and if a patient typically exhibits these symptoms, an asthma diagnosis can essentially be made. However, if the symptoms are atypical, such as having only coughing or wheezing, it may be necessary to perform some pulmonary function tests, chest X-rays, ultrasounds, or electrocardiograms on the patient to rule out other diseases that could cause wheezing and coughing. Therefore, doctors will arrange for these tests based on the patient's symptoms.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
1min 22sec home-news-image

What department should I go to for asthma?

What department should you visit for asthma? First, we need to clarify the definition of asthma. The term "asthma" most commonly refers to bronchial asthma, but also to cardiac asthma. Starting with bronchial asthma, it is a respiratory system disease, and the most appropriate department to visit is the Department of Respiratory Medicine. Of course, in the case of an acute attack of bronchial asthma, if the condition of the patient is very severe, then they may choose to visit the emergency department. Additionally, in some areas where there is no Department of Respiratory Medicine available, such as in rural areas or community health centers, patients can only visit a general internal medicine department. As for cardiac asthma, it is a concept that is gradually being phased out. Cardiac asthma, as the name suggests, is associated with cardiovascular system diseases. Under these circumstances, the most fitting department to visit is the Department of Cardiology. Of course, if the patient's condition is critical, then the most suitable choice is still the emergency department, where emergency physicians will decide how to handle the patient's condition based on their specific medical needs.

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Written by Liu Jing Jing
Pulmonology
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Can people with asthma swim?

Asthma sufferers can swim. In fact, swimming is a very beneficial form of exercise for respiratory diseases. It can enhance the respiratory tract's ability to resist diseases and increase lung function. Asthma is an allergic reaction triggered by exposure to allergens, causing bronchial smooth muscle contraction, and patients often exhibit symptoms like coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Swimming can help strengthen the body's resistance and thus reduce the occurrence of asthma attacks. However, some patients may be allergic to chlorine-based disinfectants. When swimming, it is important to be aware of whether the water contains an excessive amount of chlorine disinfectant and whether the water quality is clean, as this could also trigger an acute asthmatic attack.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
49sec home-news-image

Is variant asthma allergic asthma?

Cough-variant asthma is not allergic asthma, although it is a type of allergic asthma. Generally speaking, there is a certain distinction between cough-variant asthma and allergic asthma. Clinically, cough-variant asthma is a special type of asthma, where the main symptom exhibited by patients is an irritative dry cough, typically quite severe, without other significant clinical discomforts. In contrast, patients with allergic asthma usually exhibit symptoms such as sneezing, nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes, and itchy nose before the onset, triggered by exposure to certain allergens. Cough-variant asthma does not have these preliminary signs, marking a clear difference from allergic asthma.

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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
57sec home-news-image

How to test for asthma?

Asthma is fully referred to as bronchial asthma. It is primarily due to the presence of inflammatory cells in the airways over a long period of time. These inflammatory cells render the trachea highly reactive. With this hyperreactivity, patients often experience wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, which typically occur in the early morning and at night. These symptoms can generally be alleviated with or without medication, and if a patient typically exhibits these symptoms, an asthma diagnosis can essentially be made. However, if the symptoms are atypical, such as having only coughing or wheezing, it may be necessary to perform some pulmonary function tests, chest X-rays, ultrasounds, or electrocardiograms on the patient to rule out other diseases that could cause wheezing and coughing. Therefore, doctors will arrange for these tests based on the patient's symptoms.

doctor image
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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
52sec home-news-image

Asthma is a disease.

The full name of asthma is bronchial asthma. It is primarily caused by a variety of inflammatory cells and cellular components involved in chronic airway inflammation. This chronic inflammation can lead to symptoms of airway hyperresponsiveness. The main symptoms present in patients are sudden attacks or exposure to certain irritating factors, leading to wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. These symptoms can improve either through medication or spontaneously without medication. A disease with these characteristics is called asthma. Generally, the occurrence of asthma is mainly due to genetic factors and exposure to external allergens. The disease is caused by a combination of internal and external factors. It is generally controllable but not curable, which is important to understand.