Asthma Diagnosis: A Tricky Journey?

Getting an asthma diagnosis can sometimes be tricky and take a while and multiple doctors to ascertain. Our 2018 Asthma in America survey shows that 2/3^rd of respondents had to go to more than 1 doctor to receive an asthma diagnosis.

A study shows that mild-to-moderate asthma is tricky to diagnose and therefore remains undiagnosed in all ages.¹ As also seen in our 2018 Asthma in America survey, for most patients (71%) asthma is diagnosed using a physical examination and assessment of symptoms like wheezing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and chest tightness. Definitive diagnostic tests like lung function test and spirometry were used for getting an asthma diagnosis in 61% and 60% of patients, respectively.

Given these findings, it's not a surprise that up to 30% of asthma diagnoses are incorrect.^2,3

To learn more about their diagnosis, we asked Asthma.net Facebook community the age at which they received an official diagnosis. In this video, we summarize what you all said and provide a glimpse of the diagnosis journey, and more importantly, how tricky it has been for some community members to get an asthma diagnosis.