Evaluating Different Lung Function Tests Including Impulse Oscillometry to Diagnose Asthma in Adults at Portsmouth Hospital

What this Trial Is About

The aim is to assess how closely international asthma guidelines agree in diagnosing asthma and to explore additional evidence of airways disease using physiologic criteria such as impulse oscillometry IOS, which is not included in current guidelines but is available through the Portsmouth lung function service. Asthma diagnosis is based on indicators such as airflow obstruction, airway sensitivity, and inflammation, but guidelines from NICE, GINA, and BTSSIGN use different diagnostic criteria, which can lead to inconsistencies in identifying patients with asthma. IOS is a simple, non-invasive lung function test that may improve the accuracy and ease of asthma diagnosis, although evidence for its use in adults remains limited. Routine outpatient lung function data from patients attending the severe asthma service at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth will be analysed using an opt-out consent process. The analysis will focus on the usefulness of IOS compared with other lung function indices in diagnosing asthma. The findings may help refine asthma diagnostic methods and potentially expand the diagnostic toolkit to include IOS, improving the precision and ease of asthma diagnosis and management.

A Comparison of Diagnostic Testing Modalities in the Assessment of Asthma