The prevalence of asthma in adults varies widely around the world, ranging from 0.2% to 21.0%. Population-based studies suggest that from 20% to 70% of people with asthma in the community remain undiagnosed. On the opposite side of the spectrum, 30–35% of adults and children diagnosed with asthma do not have current asthma. Overdiagnosis of current asthma can occur due to various reasons: 1. Physicians’ failure to confirm airflow limitation; 2. New signs and symptoms in patients with long-term clinical remission of previous asthma; 3. Alternative diagnoses that mimic signs and symptoms of asthma. The most common differential diagnosis of asthma in adults is vocal cord dysfunction, airflow obstruction (e.g. tumors and foreign bodies), congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic sinusitis and infection of upper airways. The consequences of the overdiagnosis of asthma are: 1. Not diagnosing and treating the actual disease; 2. Prolonged use of medication for asthma treatment in patients without asthma leads to the occurrence of adverse effects and complications caused by medication; 3. Unnecessary costs of treatment or increased insurance rates.Prevalencija astme odraslih u svijetu varira od 0,2 % do 21,0 %. Populacijske studije pokazuju da 20 – 70 % ljudi s astmom ostaje nedijagnosticirano. Na suprotnoj strani, 30 – 35 % odraslih i djece kojima je dijagnosticirana astma zapravo nemaju astmu koja im je dijagnosticirana. Prekomjerna dijagnoza trenutačne astme može se pojaviti iz različitih razloga: 1. neuspjeh liječnika da potvrdi ograničenje zračnog protoka; 2. novi znakovi i simptomi u pacijenta s trajnom kliničkom remisijom prethodne astme; 3. alternativne dijagnoze koje oponašaju znakove i simptome astme. Najčešća diferencijalna dijagnoza astme u odraslih su disfunkcija glasnica, mehanička opstrukcija dišnih putova (npr. tumori i strana tijela), kongestivno zatajenje srca, kronična opstruktivna plućna bolest (KOPB), kronični sinusitis i infekcije gornjih dišnih putova. Posljedice prekomjerne dijagnoze astme su: 1. nedijagnosticiranje i neliječenje stvarnog oboljenja; 2. produljena uporaba lijekova u liječenju astme u pacijenta bez astme čini apsolutnu pojavu nuspojava i komplikacija lijekova; 3. nepotrebni troškovi liječenja ili povišene stope osiguranja
