Successfully managing asthma depends on a clear understanding of how the condition affects your breathing capacity. By using a spirometry test for asthma, your North Texas healthcare provider can measure exactly how well your lungs are working. If you’re struggling with asthma symptoms that are potentially being exacerbated by allergies, spirometry can play a key role in managing the condition over the long term.
How Spirometry Tests Help Control Asthma and Allergies
Spirometry is a breathing test that measures the volume and speed of air you can inhale and exhale. Here are some of the primary ways the test can help patients manage asthma and allergies.
An Accurate Lung Function Test for Diagnosing Asthma
By measuring how quickly and how much air a person can exhale, your medical provider can compare results to normal ranges based on factors like age, height and gender. Spirometry testing results are an important component used to diagnose asthma. Other diagnostic components are a patient’s medical history, a physical examination, an analysis of symptoms, plus allergy testing for allergic asthma.
Monitor Asthma Progression
Repeating spirometry tests helps track lung function over an extended period. If measurements are declining, it can indicate worsening asthma or allergy-related respiratory issues. It could also be the case that seasonal allergens are influencing respiratory health, with substances like tree or grass pollen contributing to narrowed airways at specific times of year. Whether or not you know what’s triggering these seasonal changes, allergy testing is a key factor in managing asthma.
Assess the Response to Treatment
Following a diagnosis, patients may start taking corticosteroids and using bronchodilators and other medications to improve airflow. Spirometry testing is often used to check breathing capacity to assess the response to treatment. When measurements show no improvement or get worse, your medical provider may recommend an alternative treatment.
Contribute to a Personalized Treatment Plan
Spirometry data can help determine the type and dosage of medication required to improve a patient’s lung function. Your medical provider can evaluate different readings to identify whether medication dosage should be adjusted at certain times of year, if you need a rescue inhaler after exercise, and if immunotherapy could reduce the chances of severe allergic reactions.
Prevent Severe Asthma Attacks and Manage Allergy Triggers
Declines in spirometry testing levels could indicate that a patient is at an increased risk of severe asthma attacks. With a comprehensive asthma testing and treatment approach, patients can proactively take steps to reduce this risk. Similarly, changes in readings at specific times of year may indicate an added threat requiring extra caution, and possibly an adjustment to medication.
North Texas Spirometry Testing for Asthma and Allergy Management
At TexasAllergyMD we help patients manage their asthma and allergy symptoms with our innovative testing services. For support with asthma and allergies, visit an allergy treatment center in McKinney/Prosper or Southlake. Call (469) 375-1525 or request an appointment today
