Asthma Specialist Versus Primary Care: Do I Need to See an Asthma Specialist? Featured by Allergy Associates and Lab, Chandler, Mesa and Tempe AZ. 480-838-4296.

Is an Asthma/Allergy Specialist Better for My Asthma?

Previously posted by content owners Pat Bass, About.com Guide and AAFA.

Do I need to see an asthma specialist? While asthma is a common disease and commonly treated by a variety of asthma doctors, there are a number of reasons to consider seeing an asthma specialist.

What Type of Doctor Is an Asthma Specialist?

There are 2 types of physicians that are considered an asthma specialist:

• Allergist/ Immunologist
• Pulmonologist

If not in Phoenix, AZ, find a board certified Allergist / Immunologist at >> http://goo.gl/sP4VK

How Do I Know If I Need to See an Asthma Specialist?

You or your child should consider seeing an asthma specialist:

• Following a life threatening asthma attack, intubation, or admission to an intensive care unit for asthma.
• Following an asthma attack requiring hospitalization.
• For poorly controlled asthma despite following your doctor’s instructions and taking medications appropriately after 3 to 6 months of treatment.
• If you want an evaluation for allergy shots to help control asthma triggers.
• If you use oral steroids to treat worsening asthma symptoms
• If your current asthma severity is moderate persistent or worse.
• If you or your child need additional asthma education.

If your asthma remains poorly controlled, an asthma specialist may consider other diagnoses that could be contributing to your worsening asthma such as:

• GERD
• Sinusitis
• Allergic Rhinitis
• COPD
• Obesity
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Your primary care physician might also consider referring you to an asthma specialist if:

• You need other diagnostic testing such as challenge testing, skin testing, or lung function testing.
• Your asthma symptoms or response to treatment are not typical.
• Your primary care physician suspects any of the following conditions:
  • Cough Variant Asthma
  • Occupational Asthma
  • Nocturnal Asthma
  • Exercise Induced Asthma

Click here for FREE ‘Causes of Asthma’ VIDEO >> http://goo.gl/6nFr3  

So Why Are Patients Not Referred to an Asthma Specialist?

While you might be surprised, many patients have not seen an asthma specialist despite meeting one or more of the previously mentioned reasons to see an asthma specialist. Why would there be so many missed opportunities for referral to an asthma specialist? Consider these reasons:

• Your doctor does not yet think he or she needs help managing your or your child’s asthma. Sometimes doctors don’t know when to ask for help and may need a nudge from you. If you want you or your child to see an asthma specialist, you should not have any reservations about asking for a referral.
• Your doctor may not be up to date with the latest guidelines for referral to an asthma specialist. Your primary care physician is responsible for many different guidelines for many different diseases, so it can be hard to keep up. You may proactively share the guideline with your doctor and ask if they think a referral is appropriate.
• The health care system may be getting in the way. Sometimes there may be a number of hurdles to getting a referral. Additionally, there may not be an asthma specialist near you or you or your doctor may be trying to decrease your healthcare costs.

Does an Asthma Specialist Provide Better Asthma Care?

You will probably get different answers depending on who you ask. Importantly, it is difficult to answer this question definitively because no randomized controlled trials, the gold standard for research, have been preformed. While few differences have been seen between allergists and pulmonologists, these subspecialists did better than primary care doctors in a number of areas. However, this type of research has a number of potential biases that make it difficult to make a clear, definitive statement about this. If you meet one of the criteria previously mentioned, your asthma very well may improve by seeing a asthma specialist.

Pediatricians, general practitioners, internists, allergists and pulmonologists can all treat asthma and allergies.

Allergists or immunologists are internists and pediatricians, who have additional training in the immune system and special skills in evaluating and treating asthma and allergies.

They become board certified when they pass an examination in the specialty area of allergy and immunology. Because allergists tend to see more allergic and asthmatic people than other kinds of doctors, they are more experienced in treating them.

This is especially important because about 90 percent of children and 50 percent of adults with asthma have allergies that trigger asthma symptoms. Identifying and learning to control these allergies can be the key to better asthma control.

Your primary care physician may refer you to an allergist to test you for allergies and to get your asthma under better control. Once your asthma and allergies are better controlled, you can expect to visit your allergist less often as he or she works with your primary care physician to keep your asthma in check.

Why it is important to locate a board certified physician near you, Click here for more information >> http://goo.gl/SvL2b.

If you do not live in the Phoenix, Arizona area, select a board cerified and QUALIFIED allergy and asthma physician at >> http://goo.gl/sP4VK.

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