“Undiagnosed asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases can be a daily struggle for patients. But with the right tools, we can easily diagnose and treat them.” - Dr. Shawn AaronA study led by Dr. Shawn Aaron suggests that asthma and eosinophilic bronchitis may be undiagnosed in a significant number of people who have symptoms, but have normal spirometry lung function tests. 

The findings published in the European Respiratory Journal were part of a study that used random digit dialing to find people across Canada who had never been diagnosed with a lung disease, but had unexplained shortness of breath, wheezing, increased mucus or chronic cough. If a participant’s spirometry lung function test was normal, they had further tests on the sensitivity of their airways. 

Of the 130 patients tested, 35% had hyperresponsive airways, a hallmark of asthma. In addition, 11% had eosinophilic bronchitis, an underdiagnosed form of bronchitis that can be treated with steroids. 

These findings suggest that while spirometry is a very useful tool, it misses some diagnoses, and additional tests are needed to give patients proper diagnoses and treatment.

“Undiagnosed asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases can be a daily struggle for patients. But with the right tools, we can easily diagnose and treat them.” - said Dr. Shawn Aaron, senior scientist and respirologist at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa.

Authors: Louis-Philippe Boulet, Marie-Ève Boulay, Andréanne Côté, J. Mark FitzGerald, Céline Bergeron, Catherine Lemière, M. Diane Lougheed, Katherine L. Vandemheen, Shawn D. Aaron

Core Resources: Ottawa Methods Centre

Funding: This study was funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research. All research at The Ottawa Hospital is enabled by generous donors to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.