Asthma

Asthma is a long-term condition that affects the airways, which are the tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs.

About 5.4 million people receive treatment for asthma in the UK. There are different types of asthma and many conditions can also ‘mimic’ asthma. 

We offer a comprehensive range of diagnostic tests and therapies to facilitate the accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of asthma and its related conditions. We work closely with other specialties including ear, nose and throat (ENT), speech and language therapy (SLT) and physiotherapy. 

We offer weekly consultant and nurse specialist clinics at St Mary’s, Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals. 

We also offer consultant and nurse specialist clinics in the community for patients who are registered with a GP in the boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham.

Conditions and treatments

Conditions we see include:

• suspected adult onset asthma
• severe asthma
• difficult-to-treat asthma
• breathing pattern disorder
• vocal cord dysfunction/airway malacia

We carry out a number of diagnostic tests including:

• peak expiratory flow
• lung function tests 
• histamine provocation test
• hyperventilation study
• chest x-ray
• CT scan
• echocardiogram
• blood tests 
• skin prick tests (allergy testing)

Treatments we offer are:

• patient education on asthma
• inhaler reviews
• physiotherapy
• pulmonary rehabilitation
• speech therapy (provided by ENT and SLT teams)
• established links with our local tertiary care centres for patients with severe asthma eligible for biologic therapy

Additional information

Research

We have close links with the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London.

You may be asked whether you are willing to participate in a study. If you do not want to participate it will not in any way affect your care.

Further online resources

• Asthma UK
• Rightbreathe
• British Lung Foundation