The spirometry test is a diagnostic test that evaluates respiratory volumes, i.e. the amount of air entering and leaving the lungs, as well as flow and time, being considered the most important test for assessing lung function.
For example, this test is requested by your family doctor or pneumologist to help diagnose various breathing problems, mainly COPD and asthma. In addition to spirometry, see other tests to diagnose asthma.
- However.
- Your doctor may also prescribe spirometry only to assess whether there has been an improvement in lung disease after the start of treatment.
- For example.
Your doctor often requests spirometry to help diagnose breathing problems, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, and pulmonary fibrosis, for example.
In addition, the pneumologist may also recommend the realization of spirometry as a means of monitoring the patient’s evolution with respiratory diseases, being able to check whether it responds well to treatment and, if not, be able to indicate another way. treatment.
For high-level athletes, such as marathoners and triathletes, for example, the doctor may indicate the performance of a spirometry to assess the respiratory capacity of the athlete and, in some cases, provide information to improve the performance of the athlete.
Spirometry is a quick and simple exam, with an average duration of 15 minutes, done in the doctor’s office. To begin the exam, your doctor places an elastic in the patient’s nose and asks you to breathe only through your mouth. He then gives the person a device and tells them to blow as hard as possible.
After this first step, the doctor may also ask the patient to use a drug that dilates the bronchi and facilitates breathing, called a bronchodilator, and repeats the breathing in the device, so it is possible to check if there is an increase in the amount. inhaled air after using the drug.
Throughout this process, a computer records all data obtained through the exam so that the doctor can evaluate it at a later date.
Preparation for the spirometry exam is very simple and includes
This preparation prevents lung capacity from being affected by factors other than a possible disease. Therefore, if there is no proper preparation, the results may change and it may be necessary to repeat the spirometry.
Spirometry values vary by age, gender, and size of the person, so they should always be interpreted by the doctor. However, usually, right after the spirometry test, the doctor already interprets the results and informs the patient if there are any problems.
As a general rule, spirometry results that indicate respiratory problems are:
Generally, if the patient has modified the results of spirometry, it is common for the pneumologist to request a new spirometry test to assess respiratory volumes after performing an asthma inhaler, for example, to assess the degree of the disease and begin the most appropriate treatment.