Copd review.

[warbler]

Hi, I have mild Copd and recently had my yearly review, my fev/fvc ratio was up a bit from last year but my fev1 was down a bit.

Could anyone tell me if that is a good thing or a bad thing please ?

Thank you in advance.

[Katinka46]

Can't really help as I don't have COPD. But I can understand your concern. Can you post your actual numbers, as it is a bit difficult to make a comment without them?

Others here will have a much better idea about them. My numbers are particular to my condition, so you would have a better idea from another COPD sufferer.

If you have a smart phone you could photograph the page with the numbers and post it on the site.

Many people here seem to have stable COPD for decades.

All the best

K x

[Mojo17]

Can you tell me what fev/fvc ratio means and what isTLCO

[stilltruckin]

If FEV1 is down and FEV1/FVC ratio is up, then FVC must have gone down more than FEV1

This is not a good thing obviously, but bear in mind that a day to day variation in FEV1 readings of up to 5% is normal, as is some age-related decline.

[Hidden in reply to stilltruckin]

Hi so sorry but could you explain what FEV1 & FEC is please.

[stilltruckin in reply to Hidden]

When you fill your lungs then empty them as hard and fast as possible, FEV1 (Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second) is the volume of air expelled in the first second, and FVC (Forced Vital Capacity) is total volume that can be expelled in that way.

FVC is nowadays sometimes replaced by FEV6 (Forced Expiratory Volume in 6 seconds), which is equivalent for all practical purposes.

These volumes are measured in litres. When you see them referred to as a percentage, that is the volume that person can forcibly expel as a percentage of the average for people of the same age, height and sex with healthy lungs.