Asthma: Diagnosis

Asthma: Diagnosis
Course Description: A chronic respiratory disease, asthma restricts airways and impairs breathing. Though the cause of asthma is not completely understood, many risk factors increase the chances of developing the disease. Children with infrequent episodic asthma often overcome the condition and gain normal adult lung function. This course explains how physicians diagnose and classify symptoms based on patient severity and treatment response.

Course Objectives: Explain how patient history impacts asthma diagnosis.
Describe how physicians interpret physical examination to gauge exacerbation.
Explain why diagnosing pediatric asthma can be so difficult.
Describe the pulmonary function and other clinical tests used in asthma diagnosis.
Explain the difficulties in pediatric asthma diagnosis.
Explain why a chest X-ray, while normal in many asthmatic patients, can help asthma diagnosis.
Explain the role of arterial blood gas analysis.
Describes allergen testing`s role in asthma diagnosis.
Explain the differences between the four asthma severity levels.
Explain how a patient`s symptoms and treatment response factor into severity assessment.

Syllabus: INTRODUCTION
1. Course Information
2. Interface Tour
3. Course Overview

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS
4. Objectives
5. Patient History
6. Symptoms
7. Differential Diagnosis
8. Progress Check

PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS
9. Objectives
10. Overview of Tests
11. Forced Vital Capacity
12. Flow-Volume Curve
13. FEV1
14. Peak Expiratory Flow
15. Reversibility and Provocation Tests
16. Progress Check

OTHER DIAGNOSTIC TESTS
17. Objectives
18. Chest X-ray and Allergen Tests
19. Arterial Blood Gas Analysis
20. Progress Check

PATIENT CLASSIFICATION
21. Objectives
22. Untreated Patients
23. Patients Undergoing Treatment
24. Treatment-Symptom Scheme
25. Progress Check

CONCLUSION
26. Summary

Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes

CME Credits: 1.25

Catalog: TA (Respiratory)