What would be deemed as a normal peak flow? Mine is never over 250. It's always been low. I am5ft 2ins. I've be n told this is not good

[Denae011]

Peak flow

[Carriejen]

It depends on your height and age, and there’s a chart somewhere you can look at. But it also depends on you because what’s normal for you might be lower than the average

[josih]

I’m slightly smaller than you, and my peak flow tends to be around 220 in the morning, peaking to 270-290 late afternoon and then down to 240-250 in the evening. My ideal peak flow was calculated my a specialist asthma nurse linked to my consultant and is 320. It can get there, but only in the summer months.

[Taztarr]

Check this: peakflow.com/top_nav/normal...

[Griffon]

Google " peak flow average " and it will show a chart .

250 does appear to be low , but you are taking a deep breath and blowing as hard as you can into the machine to get a reading , aren't you ?!

[Mark-f]

We are all different and are stable peak flow readings can vary greatly ! Mine can range from 150 with infection to as high as 550 when I’m on prednisone and stable !!

I would advice taking your peak flow morning and night for 1 month to get some kind of odds what yours is normally

[Superzob]

In a way, this is the wrong question. Peak flow is useful for diagnosing symptoms, but if you have no symptoms I wouldn't worry about it. It's important to remember that peak flow is based on averages, and there are no average people! Having said that, I understand that inhalers are good for preventing further lung function decline in types of COPD, which might show up in tests without any symptoms being present; I don't know whether this is also true for asthma, but it might be worth asking Asthma UK.

[Sylvsmum]

Blimey, you're a lucky lot! My peak flow is 150 - very occasionally 160 - but that is just normal for my lungs. No point in me keeping a peak flow diary, it doesn't vary enough.

Even the 'experts' don't all agree when it comes to peak flow, some think it is important, many do not - but itt depends son each individual. This is a very useful forum, but not to be compared with personal professional advice from your asthma support team.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

I find there is a bit too much reliance on peak flow. For some people it's very sensitive and a useful indicator of how things are. For others it's much less useful, but I have been told too much that I must be ok because my peak flow is ok despite me being in the middle of a severe attack! (Confirmed by other things).

Mine is really pretty good - best is well above predicted of 470 and it doesn't drop that low or vary much (atm, it has swung in the past). Honestly it isn't remotely helpful being that high though and pretty misleading. My FEV1 is persistently rubbish and I have daily symptoms (definitely asthma) despite the good peak flows. I find I can be heading for an attack or having a good day with pretty much the same peak flow.

I tend to have to remind people a lot that it's not a useful measure for me as at least in this country, it seems to carry disproportionate weight in assessment of asthma. A triage nurse in A and E once told me my best peak flow couldn't be possible because that was average for a man and so I must be wrong. I didn't have the breath to give him a lecture about statistics and asthma, but luckily he passed me onto someone who was better at looking at the whole picture (and understood how averages work...).

[Suzsugarbaker]

Your Peak Flow is just your personal best. Don’t go by other peoples. Mine is the same as yours my personal best is about 270. If it gets down to about 150 I go to the emergency room. My husband and my daughter both think that it’s my technique. They spit into the thing much differently than I do. I don’t know why I can’t do it like them ! Tried !