Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- There’s a new way to diagnose and treat asthma. Doctors at Upstate have been using the test for a couple of months and so far, so good. NewsChannel 9 visited Upstate’s pulmonary clinic to see just how the test works and how it’s helping patients.
Twelve-year-old Nathan Horn knew something wasn’t right during swim practice last year. That’s when his mom took him to Upstate.
Nathan’s been using inhaled steroids twice a day for months. He’s done so well that his doctor recently cut the dosage, but is it working? A test called Feno can find out. It measures nitrous oxide, which is produced by cells in the lungs when there’s inflammation.
And the test has another benefit, which Nathan’s mom Julie really likes. It can tell if patients are taking their medication.
The feno test doesn’t replace traditional asthma testing, but it does give doctors another way to diagnose and treat asthma.
