Diagnosing asthma
Find out more about how your GP or asthma nurse makes an asthma diagnosis for you or your child
- Diagnosing asthma in adults
- Diagnosing asthma in children
- Diagnosing severe asthma
- Tests to diagnose asthma
Diagnosing asthma
Get answers to some of the questions you might have about what a diagnosis of asthma means for you.
If you think you have asthma, or your child has asthma, it's very important to make an appointment with your GP or asthma nurse as soon as possible so you can talk about your symptoms, go through your medical history and do some tests to see how your lungs are working.
In this section you can find out more about how your GP or asthma nurse makes an asthma diagnosis, including some of the tests that they might do. You can also get answers to some of the questions you might have as well as help and support as you come to terms with your asthma diagnosis.
A very small number of people with asthma (less than five per cent) are diagnosed with what's known as severe asthma. If you're having asthma symptoms a lot of the time, frequent asthma attacks, and the usual asthma treatments aren't working for you, you may be referred to a specialist asthma centre or clinic for further tests. You can also find out how severe asthma is diagnosed here.
Last updated September 2016
Next review due September 2019
