That’s a great question. Your asthma control health team could include a number of health care professionals, including a pulmonologist, allergy specialist, or asthma specialist. What’s most important is that you get to someone who has had the special training (and equipment) to diagnosis, manage, and treat your condition because many cases of asthma may go undiagnosed, particularly in children. Your doctor may have referred you to someone else for a number of reasons. Because of the chronic nature of asthma, it is essential for you to develop a partnership with your healthcare practitioner so that your condition may be monitored and managed for optimal health benefits. The government's National Institute on Heart, Lung, and Blood has developed clinical practice guidelines based on an expert panel review. These Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma include General Guidelines for Referral to an Asthma Specialist (page 23) and other information useful to health care consumers as well as professionals. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" ?>

Patricia Theiler

Community manager