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An update on asthma diagnosis
Charis Armeftis1, Christina Gratziou2, Nikolaos Siafakas3
1Pulmonology Unit, Ygeia Hospital, Limassol, Cyprus.
Summary
Accurate asthma diagnosis is crucial due to its significant health burden. This review highlights challenges in asthma diagnosis and misdiagnosis, emphasizing the need for standardized approaches and objective measurements.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Allergy and Immunology
- Diagnostic Medicine
Background:
- Asthma affects 5-10% of the global population, presenting a substantial health and socioeconomic challenge.
- Accurate diagnosis is hindered by asthma's heterogeneity and the absence of a gold standard test, leading to over- and underdiagnosis.
- Misdiagnosis results in delayed treatment of other conditions or worsened asthma control, impacting quality of life and increasing healthcare costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an updated review of current literature on asthma diagnosis.
- To discuss challenges related to asthma misdiagnosis and its consequences.
- To highlight updated recommendations from international asthma guidelines.
Main Methods:
- A narrative review of recently published articles (n=51) was conducted.
- Literature search performed on PubMed using terms "asthma diagnosis" and "asthma misdiagnosis".
- Included articles detail asthma diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and updated international guideline recommendations.
Main Results:
- Asthma is a heterogeneous condition with varying molecular mechanisms, complicating diagnosis.
- Lack of a gold standard test contributes to both overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of asthma.
- Current international guidelines advocate for a standardized diagnostic approach with objective measurements before initiating treatment.
Conclusions:
- Standardized diagnostic approaches are essential to improve asthma management and patient outcomes.
- Further research is needed to define optimal diagnostic strategies, particularly for severe asthma.
- Targeted management approaches hold promise for patients with severe asthma.
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