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copd

zoeybean profile image
24 Replies

my sister was told last week she has copd by her heart dr. the did the breathing test said it was 75% is this good? i have copd for 1year now have never been given this.

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zoeybean profile image
zoeybean
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24 Replies

I disagree. The cut off point for copd is over 80% so 75% means very mild copd. If you suffer from copd you should have an annual review with the respiratory nurse at your surgery and at least a peak and flow reading (or a spirometry test which is more accurate) which should indicate your lung function. You should also have a chest x-ray done and your blood gasses every time. The nurse should also ensure you know how to take your

meds properly and discuss whether you need to up or lower the dose or even change meds x

zoeybean profile image
zoeybean in reply to

thanks, she has something on her lungs the dr doesnt know much yet until her ct scan. why would they give her the breathing test i wonder? thank you so very much, if you know anything else please let me know. thanks a million

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply to

Not according to the GOLD criteria Cough. See my reply below. 75% FEV1 would be in the high end of moderate stage 2 which is 50% - 79%.

Everything else spot on.

in reply to O2Trees

Is that the UK one Jean? When I was diagnosed around 5 years ago if you were over 70% it was considered not to be copd. Then they changed it to over 80%. I understood that moderate is 50 - 70 and mild is 70-80? I have my copd review a week Monday so will check with the nurse. x

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply to

That would be brilliant Cough, id love to know what they say. Before i posted that i went on various websites who all quoted the GOLD staging criteria, including patient.co.uk which is an English site. GOLD is considered international but who knows? I kept looking and looking as i didn't want to post anything incorrect. Maybe different countries do use different criteria.

But I had seen this - mild being above 80% - previously which was why i took another look today. Checked the BLF site but couldn't find anything. But it certainly wasn't like that when i was dix'd which was 2000.

So do let us know. Hope your review goes well but we'll probably be in touch before then :) :)

in reply to O2Trees

Maybe they have changed it again then? It's all very confusing! x

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply to

Sure is. Here's another site using the GOLD classification, it explains it quite well. Im trying to find the patient.co.uk one - i'll edit in that link if i find it again (being an english site) :)

webmd.com/lung/copd/gold-cr...

yes, here it is, its a little way down the page:

patient.co.uk/doctor/chroni...

Freezing here today, thought it was going to be warmer, wanted to get my bike out :(

jackdup profile image
jackdup in reply to

I believe FEV1 above 80% is considered mild and below is moderate down to 50%, however 75% is just off of mild. To be considered COPD your FEV1/FVC ratio should also be below 70% so perhaps that is the 70% you are referring to.

cut off is 80% as cough says :)

zoeybean profile image
zoeybean in reply to

cough said that, why would the dr say 75% unless maybe he really doesnt know himself you think? sisters mad at me because i never had one. oxygen they do by blood test says mind is 90% that was a year ago. stopped smoking after 40 years with chantix last month feel so much better. thank you so very much

in reply to zoeybean

the cut off for COPD is 80% and anything showing below that 'could' be copd - your sister, you say, had a test that showed 75% and if this is her fv1/fvc then she may have mild copd. Its not that easy to understand all that goes into the results I know :)

You could ring BLF during business hours for help 03000 030 555

zoeybean profile image
zoeybean in reply to

this is what she told me her heart dr. told her. she said she had to breath thru something and thats what he told her. does this make since to you? she has an appointment with a lung specialist and a ct scan next week.

in reply to zoeybean

yes it does - it sounds like he is referring her to a lung specialist to get a full lung function test and a CT scan just to see what may be occurring. Its good that they are being thorough. :)

zoeybean profile image
zoeybean in reply to

thank you so much, stay well.

in reply to zoeybean

and you zoey :) and you ask questions anytime - this forum is ace :)

zoeybean profile image
zoeybean

i was coughing alot aND THE NASTY stuff coming up for about a month, went to the dr. he listened to my lungs and ran blood test. my doctor has copd himself. ive read so much here and ive never as of yet had any of these test. do i actually have copd? should i get a second opinion, i take 3 inhalers, if you have any ideas please let me know. thank you so much.

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees

Hi Zoeybean, looking at current websites, as far as i can see, your sister's copd is in the high side of the moderate classification, i.e. between 79% and 50%.

Below is copied from the GOLD website, GOLD being the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease, the world standard.

You can see that Mild Copd is diagnosed with MORE THAN (= >) 80% of FEV1.

It's all very confusing and as suggested the BLF helpline will help you sort it all out.

When either you or your sister have any tests its a good idea to ask to be given a copy of the results (I always get mine) :)

"GOLD COPD staging uses four categories of severity for COPD, based on the value of FEV1:

Stage I Mild COPDFEV1/FVC<0.70 FEV1≥ 80% normal

Stage II Moderate COPDFEV1/FVC<0.70 FEV1 50-79% normal

Stage III Severe COPDFEV1/FVC<0.70 FEV1 30-49% normal

Stage IV Very Severe COPDFEV1/FVC<0.70 FEV1 <30% normal, or <50% normal with chronic respiratory failure present*

* Usually, this means requiring long-term oxygen therapy."

Apologies for keeping editing but the copied bits were not coming up clearly.

in reply to O2Trees

that's great info O2 - thank you :)

Teddygirl profile image
Teddygirl in reply to O2Trees

I DONT KNOW IF ANY ONE ELSE IS ON FACE BOOK THEY HAVE SOME AMAZING HELP THERE, ID BE TOTALY LOST & CUT OF IF IT WASNT FOR THEM , ALSO GREAT ADVICE ABOUT BENNIFITS COPD'ERS SHOULD BE GETTING AS WELL AS HOME AIDS eg STAIR LIFT HOME OXEGEN MACHINE

GOOD LUCK XX MAG

zoeybean profile image
zoeybean in reply to Teddygirl

copd is on facebook?

zoeybean profile image
zoeybean in reply to O2Trees

thank you so very much, can you believe my two sisters and myself have copd and my other sister has cancer, so the three of us is trying our best to understand copd while trying to get a grip on the sister with cancer. im so happy to have found this site!!

Teddygirl profile image
Teddygirl

HI THERE ZOEYBEAN IM SO SORRY TO HEAR THAT, I TOO HAVE COPD , IVE HAD IT FOR A FEW YEARS NOW XX

Suz01 profile image
Suz01

Are we talking FEV1? You do not have to always have a low FEV1 for a copd diagnosis as I found out. My FEV1 (Complex Lung Function Test) was 95% predicted. However CT scan and X ray showed emphysema. The big signs on the LFT was high % predicted FVC and high Lung Volumes. DLCO (gas transfer) 47% and FEV1/FVC 56 % I was told the "mechanics"of my airways were at this point still functioning quite well thus the good fev1 which going on the "scale" that gets referred to quite a lot would mean I don't have a lung problem, how I wish that were the case! But I do have moderate emphysema so just an example that FEV1 isn't always the telling factor. Suz x

DENNISAMERICA profile image
DENNISAMERICA

HI IM DENNIS AND I JUST HAD A PFT SPIROMTRY 2 WEEKS AGO. IVE BEEN SMOKING FOR 42 YEARS AND IM 55 YEARS OLD .. TESTED NEGATIVE FOR ALPHA AND MY FVC WAS 87% MY FEV1 WAS 81% AND THE FVC/FEV1 RATIO WAS 92% A CT SCAN DID SHOW SOME SMALL EMPHYSEMA MARKING IN MY UPPER LUNGS... BUT NOT MANY... DOES THIS MEAN I AM MODERATE?

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