UK study highlights importance of spirometry in diagnosing COPD

[2greys]

A UK study of patients participating in low-dose CT lung cancer screening highlights the importance of spirometry (breathing tests) in the assessment of possible chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and demonstrates that over-reliance on radiological changes alone may result in detection of clinically insignificant disease. The new study is published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

sciencecodex.com/uk-study-h...

[Janzo54]

Ive only had one Spirometry test for diagnosis the copd nurse and doctors at our practice say i don’t need one done after diagnosis-they said theres no point?

What do others think or been advised?

Janzo

[Tia4209]

Hi 2greys is this study saying , if your CT scan shows Emphysema but you did not have symptoms and the Spirometry test is normal then you do not have COPD?

[2greys in reply to Tia4209]

The study was about carrying out a spirometry test alongside routine lung cancer tests, involving a low dose CT Scan. Of course it is possible to have mild emphysema changes showing and a "normal" Spirometry test. A Spirometry test can occasionally be better than normal and in any case normal can mean having an FEV1 of 80%.. It does not mean they do not have COPD, Without emphysema they could have had an FEV1 of over 100% even.

You do not have to have symptoms. I had no symptoms until being at stage four. Many do not even know they have the disease. Of course being Chronic, the disease will advance to the point of having noticeable symptoms

[Tia4209 in reply to 2greys]

Thank you