Asthma is kinda bad but my peak flow reading is good?

Peak flow meter readings?

• I am a 54 year old male, have not been formally diagnosed with asthma. Purchased a peak flow meter, which I have been using at various times during the day. According to there charts a man of my age, weight, and height should be blowing a 610, my avearge reading is about 430. Is this low reading a sign of asthma. I want to have these documented readings before I see my doctor

• Answer:

  It would be extraordinarily unusual and almost unheard-of to live to the age of 54 and not already be diagnosed with asthma, if that is what you truly have. Most breathing problems that happen after the age of 40 are more likely to be related to permanent lung damage, such as Emphysema/COPD. If you have a history of smoking, or exposure to second-hand smoke, or occupational exposure to dust, chemicals, or fumes, you should see your doctor and ask for pulmonary-function testing. This will help to determine the extent of your lung disease, and whether or not at least part of it can be temporarily relieved with medications called bronchodilators. If your lung function improves with bronchodilator usage, then it is possible that you may have had a mild predisposition to asthma all along, and perhaps it wasn't until your exposure to smoke, dust, or chemicals over the years damaged your lungs sufficiently that this tendency, called bronchospasticity or bronchial hyper-reactivity, became significant. You should make an appointment to see your family doctor soon.