Methacholine Challenge

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grayjake

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My pulm seems to have doubts about my asthma since I am not responding to meRAB. He wants to do this test to check for the muscles in my chest. I was wondering if anyone has had this procedure done? I am off my Advair and I am only using my rescue inhaler until the test.
 
I haven't had it but know several people who have. If there seems to be some doubt about whether you have asthma, this would be the way to determine it. A friend's doctor (Internist) treated her for asthma for a year with her never really getting much better. Finally sent her to my asthma/allergy doc and he diagnosed her with acid reflux, not asthma. A month later, on a proper diet and meRAB for the reflux, she had virtually no symptoms. Sometimes it just takes time and the right testing to figure it out.
 
I had it today. I made it to stage four, then dropped 20 percent, so they stopped the test and gave me the asthma diagnosis. They give you 5 doses, and if you drop 20, in the first three, you have asthma. If you make it to 4 or 5, your doctor will talk to you. I made it to 4 and could really feel the bronchoconstriction. Here is some information that may help"

Methacholine (METH-ah-CHO-lean) challenge testing is used to assess for asthma or airway hyper-reactivity. This test is usually performed when asthma is suspected, but spirometry does not indicate its presence. Methacholine provokes bronchoconstriction (airways tighten), which is then measured by spirometry. Patients with asthma will typically respond at lower doses. This test has a high negative predictive value (i.e. if the result is negative, then there is likely no asthma).
 
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