Diagnosis of Asthma in Children
Focus on children who exhibit key features of asthma on examination
| High probability of asthma | Intermediate probability of asthma | Low probability of asthma |
| Start a trial of treatment | Watchful waiting with regular review | Consider alternative diagnosis and treat appropriately |
| Review and assess response | Trial of treatment with careful observation and review |
Consider more detailed investigation |
| Reserve further testing for those with poor response |
Lung function and reversibility testing in children who are able to perform such tests | Consider specialist referral |
| The diagnosis of asthma in children is clinical. It is based on recognising a characteristic pattern of episodic symptoms in the absence of an alternative explanation |
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| Most children over 5 years can perform lung function tests | ||