28/01/2015

NHS Watchdog To Issue Asthma Treatment Guidelines

NHS watchdog, NICE, said it believes that more than one million adults in the UK have been wrongly diagnosed as asthmatic.

According to the watchdog a third of adults diagnosed with the common lung condition show "no clinical signs" of asthma.

In a report laying out new advice for doctors, NICE said that while some patients may have had asthma in the past, many have been wrongly diagnosed.

NICE is calling on doctors to use more clinical tests to confirm a diagnosis before prescribing medication.

The proposed guidelines for treatment are currently out for consultation before a final draft is approved.

However, the watchdog also warned that people should not taking medication they have been prescribed for the condition.

(MH/CD)

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