Was the Doctor Right About Your Child’s Asthma Diagnosis?

U.S. News & World Report

By Michael O. Schroeder
5/19/16

It seems like a eureka moment – and it may, in fact, be just that: Your child, who has been nursing a cough and wheezing while exerting himself, is finally diagnosed – with asthma.


Historically, research finds this common chronic respiratory disease was missed in many children, and today experts say in certain populations in the U.S., like low-income families, asthma is still considered to be underdiagnosed. But based on more recent international research, some experts now question whether the pendulum has swung way too far in the other direction and argue that today, asthma is overdiagnosed in kids. “The published literature is clear that many have a diagnosis of asthma with no supporting evidence,” said Dr. Andrew Bush, a professor of pediatrics at Imperial College London who specializes in pediatric respiratory medicine, in an email. “We therefore need to up our game in using simple tests to confirm the diagnosis of asthma.”

Bush co-wrote an article with Dr. Louise Fleming ...

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