Is asthma a medical history?

Is asthma a medical history?

“The major tool in the diagnosis of asthma is the medical history,” says Dr. Ferdman. “Most people can be very accurately diagnosed based on their pattern of symptoms, response to medications, and family history.

What is asthma * Your answer?

Asthma is a long-term disease of the lungs. It causes your airways to get inflamed and narrow, and it makes it hard to breathe. Severe asthma can cause trouble talking or being active. You might hear your doctor call it a chronic respiratory disease.

What is the medical definition of asthma?

Asthma: A common lung disorder in which inflammation causes the bronchi to swell and narrow the airways, creating breathing difficulties that may range from mild to life-threatening. Symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest tightness.

What is the history behind asthma?

The word “asthma” originates from the Greek meaning short of breath, meaning that any patient with breathlessness was asthmatic. The term was refined in the latter part of the 19th Century with the publication of a treatise by Henry Hyde Salter entitled “On Asthma and its Treatment”.

What do lungs sound like with asthma?

This is the most commonly heard breath sound associated with asthma. While not all asthmatics wheeze, the majority do. Wheezing is generally a higher-pitched whistling sound that occurs most commonly when you breathe out.

What is the best rescue inhaler for asthma?

Short-Acting Inhalers

• Ventolin (albuterol) is a bronchodilator used in quick-relief rescue inhalers to relieve acute asthma symptoms.
• Xopenex (levalbuterol) is a rescue inhaler medication used to relieve acute asthma symptoms. It is similar to albuterol.

Who first diagnosed asthma?

Aretaeus of Cappadocia (100 AD), a Greek physician, is credited with the first accurate description of asthma, as we know it today. He wrote symptoms include chest heaviness, difficulty in breathing and tiredness.

Can a doctor hear asthma with a stethoscope?

Your doctor will start with a physical exam. They will: Look at your nose, throat, and upper airways. Use a stethoscope to listen for a whistling sound when you breathe.

What does an asthma cough sound like in adults?

While people with asthma often experience a whistling or wheezing sound in the chest in addition to coughing, there is a form of asthma in which the only symptom is a chronic cough. This is known as cough-variant asthma.