When Asthma Isn't Causing Your Shortness of Breath

Closing thoughts

Asthma is a common (and growing) problem in Westernized countries, including the United States and Canada. However, not all patients who are otherwise healthy but have shortness of breath have asthma. And we as physicians, despite wanting to do the best for our patients, are not always correct in our diagnosis, especially when dealing with common symptoms and common disorders. If you "have asthma" but your symptoms are not getting better with good treatment for asthma, you would be right to ask your doctor, "Could it be that my shortness of breath is not from asthma?"