Exercise Challenge Test

The purpose of this test is to establish a diagnosis of asthma in a subject in whom this diagnosis cannot be established on the basis of clinical data plus pulmonary function testing without exercise. A baseline pulmonary function is performed followed by exercise to obtain a target heart rate at six minutes, in adults, or exercise for a period of about 15-20 minutes in children. A post exercise pulmonary function test is then performed to observe any decrease in percentages from pre exercise pulmonary function.