Coded entry - Spirometric lung age (XaY55) 56 Years
Anyone any good at interpreting these results please, my asthma nurse said I definitely don't have copd but I literally feel so breathless everyday especially in the mornings, I read normal litres of air should be 3.5 to 5.5 for an adult male but mine is well below that.
It feels restrictive to me rather than obstructive I feel I can't pull the air in especially with exercise.
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jamieb977
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It definitely sounds like you do have asthma to me, especially if it affects you when you exercise myself and my son have the same problem as you when we exercise we both use the blue ventolin before any form of exercise, I also have to use a preventative twice a day Fostair 100/6 I'd definitely go back to your asthma nurse and explain, if you already haven't that is how it affects you when you exercise
These results are from a set of pulmonary function tests and a medication review for a patient with asthma. Here's a breakdown of each result:
- **Forced Expired Volume in 1 second (FEV1): 2.86 L**: This measures the amount of air a person can forcefully exhale in one second. A normal range can vary depending on many factors including age, sex, and height, but generally, normal values range from 3.0 to 5.0 liters. An FEV1 less than the lower limit of normal may suggest obstructive lung disease, like asthma or COPD.
- **Percent predicted FEV1: 88%**: This compares the patient's actual FEV1 to what would be predicted for someone of the same age, sex, height, and ethnicity. A percent predicted FEV1 of 88% is within the normal range, suggesting that this patient's lung function is relatively preserved. Typically, anything above 80% is considered normal.
- **Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR): 517 L/min**: This measures the fastest speed a person can exhale. This can vary widely, but normal values can range from 350 to 600 L/min. Again, the actual normal range depends on the patient's age, sex, and height. This value seems to be within the normal range.
- **Asthma medication review**: This is not a test result but rather indicates that the patient's medications for managing asthma were reviewed. It doesn't provide any specific information about the patient's medication regimen or the outcome of the review.
- **Spirometric lung age: 56 years**: This is an estimate of the 'age' of the lungs, based on lung function tests. If a patient's 'lung age' is higher than their actual age, this could indicate that their lungs are not functioning as well as would be expected for someone their age. If the patient's actual age is less than 56, this could be a sign of decreased lung function.
Keep in mind that these values should be interpreted in the context of the patient's symptoms, history, and physical examination. It's also important to note that while these tests can provide valuable information about a patient's lung function, they are just one part of the overall assessment.
This doesn't really give enough information to say on obstruction, You would need the FVC (forced vital capacity) at least for that, and a lot of other information that isn't necessarily there on basic spirometry testing to tell if you have obstructive or restrictive problems. If your FEV1 and FVC are both lowered, or both similar, it can mean you have restrictive lung disease - but there is also something called pseudorestriction (obstruction disguised as restriction), and to tell whether it is that you need more information about your lungs, which you would only get from full lung function testing rather than basic spirometry.
FEV1 is within normal limits for you here, but bear in mind predicted values are just an average of all the people your age, sex and height without lung problems diagnosed, and your own might be different - it's a useful guide but doesn't mean you should discount symptoms. FEV1 and spirometry are just part of the picture and don't always match symptoms - I agree with ChatGPT there!
Have you already been diagnosed with asthma, and are you on medications? Did you take them before the test if so, as that can affect results if you take your reliever before the test. COPD isn't the only thing that can make you breathless every day - if you have asthma that isn't being treated fully, that will make you feel breathless every day.
YOu may find it useful to call the helpline and chat things through with the nurses - they have plenty of time to listen and explain: 0300 2225800 or WhatsApp 07378 606 728 Monday-Friday 0915-5pm
Thank you guys, I should have provided more information, I have had controlled asthma since a child and didn't even use any preventers until last year just the blue one occasionally, I had an asthma exacerbation in Nov 2021 which seemed to take the air out of my lungs after, then as I was still recovering from that I got covid in Feb 2022 and since then my lung function has been awful, I first went on clenil modulite, then up to luforbec which seemed to make me worse then finally onto seretide which I take 2 puffs in morning and 2 at night with a spacer, it made some improvement but only marginal. I then have been on spriva and montelukast which didn't seem to make any difference, my asthma nurse said she has ran out of options and have been referred to respitory at the hospital in Jan 2023 my letter said 54 weeks wait lol and havnt heard anything since. I should add im a long term smoker as well. I'm just so desperate for a diagnosis with this so at least I know what the problem is, feels like living in limbo, there is no private lung function testing anywhere near Devon but im considering paying for ct scan to see if it picks anything up ?
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