New technology aids in early asthma diagnosis
12:15 a.m. Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Five-year-old twins Mary Elizabeth and Kaleigh were born prematurely. Their parents were told to watch out for future respiratory problems.
"About 2 and a half, they started with the chronic cough and they just labeled it, chronic cough, you know, airway issues," Maria Flavin said.
The doctors wouldn't label it asthma because the twins were too young for a definitive diagnostic test called spirometry. You have to be six or older, and be able to breathe in deeply and blow out all the air.
Fast Facts
- Nine million children in the U.S. have asthma. About 50 to 80 percent of children develop symptoms before they reach five.
- Asthma causes about 14 million lost school days per year and is the third leading cause of hospitalization for children.
- The standard test for asthma, spirometry, is difficult to perform in young children.
- A newer test, called impulse oscillometry, assesses lung function through normal breathing, eliminating the need for a child to follow complicated instructions.
Information on impulse oscillometry is available at the VIASYST Healthcare Web site. More information on asthma can be found at the American Lung Association Web site.
"That maneuver is very difficult and requires a lot of effort. And it's very hard to get children to understand the concept," Dr. Jonathan Finder said.
At Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Dr. Finder is using new technology to diagnose asthma in children as young as 3. It's called oscillometry.
"All they have to do is breathe in a normal fashion, without effort," said Finder.
While the two tests are quite different, the new one can show how severe a young child's asthma is. That way the doctor can start effective treatment sooner.
"The secret to success in a disease like asthma is being anticipatory, and in knowing when to treat and treating aggressively," Finder said.
This is a welcome development for families whose young children are suffering.
"It opens up the door to manage the asthma at such an earlier age that we don't go through these triggers where there's asthma attacks and you don't know when they're coming," Flavin said.
Thus, the whole family breathes easier.
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