The Diary Card for Asthma Symptoms can be used to monitor the severity of asthma symptoms over time.
Parameters:
(1) sleep disturbance
(2) chest tightness on awakening
(3) duration and frequency of daytime wheeze and breathlessness
(4) severity of daytime wheeze and breathlessness
(5) cough
Symptom recording:
(1) morning: sleep disturbance and chest tightness
(2) evening: duration of wheezing and breathlessness, severity of wheezing and breathlessness, cough
|
Parameter |
Finding |
Score |
|
sleep disturbance |
no sleep disturbance due to asthma |
0 |
|
|
awoken once during the night, for less than an hour, because of asthma |
1 |
|
|
awoken two or three times or once for more than an hour because of asthma |
2 |
|
|
awake most of the night because of asthma |
3 |
|
chest tightness on awakening |
not present and didn't require extra bronchodilator during the night |
0 |
|
|
not present but did require extra bronchodilator during the night |
1 |
|
|
present |
2 |
|
duration and frequency of daytime wheeze and breathlessness |
none |
0 |
|
|
occasional |
1 |
|
|
frequent but not all day |
2 |
|
|
most or all of the day |
3 |
|
severity of daytime wheeze and breathlessness |
none |
0 |
|
|
mild; not incapacitating or distressing |
1 |
|
|
moderate to severe; distressing and/or had to limit activities |
2 |
|
cough |
none |
0 |
|
|
occasional |
1 |
|
|
more than occasional |
2 |
asthma diary card score =
= (points for sleep disturbance) + (points for chest tightness on awakening) + (points for duration and frequency of daytime wheeze and breathlessness) + (points for severity of daytime wheeze and breathlessness) + (points for cough)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 12
• The lower the score, the milder the asthmatic symptoms; the higher the score the more severe the symptoms.
