Mobile phones could soon be helping asthma sufferers to monitor their breathing capacity and prevent asthma attacks.

　　E-San, a British company, is testing a software program for mobile phones that reminds asthma sufferers to monitor their condition twice a day.

　　Asthma patients check their condition by breathingsintosa mechanical flow meter and recording the results on a chart. It provides information for doctors to make sure their medication is working.

　　The E-San program prompts the phone-owner to use the meter. The phones used in the trials include a pocket PC that records the data and will send it to E-San's officesswheresit will be analyzed by a computer. If the trial is successful, the company plans to expand the program to monitor other illnesses such as diabetes and cystic fibrosis.