Hi. I recently found my pulmonary function test from last year. For the first time I noticed two errors. One was my race which said Caucasian and I’m not and second it said I used albuterol nebulizer to test reversibility and I actually made a mistake and took spiriva. My allergist knew I made a mistake about the spiriva and said well that just made the test defunct but I’m wondering also if because the tech wrote the wrong race if it messed up my predicted values as well. Thank you!
Pulmonary function test and race - Living with Asthma
Pulmonary function test and race


Hi, B,
No. It doesn’t change anything accept their demographic reporting is off (and they are ALWAYS off nowadays, in part because there are so many mixed people). Most techs have been told that rather than question people about their background, which can be offensive, they should just guess.
Has your doctor come up with an explanation of your odd breathing pattern?
You raise a good question. I know there are some health conditions that vary by race, but I didn't think that would be the case with asthma and copd. Thanx for the question. I will be interested in your other replies.

Pulmonary function testing is an important part of your lung health. It’s used in diagnosing and monitoring. I believe height, race, age and gender may play a role in your predicted values. You probably should report any errors you find in your test so your results can be corrected.