Pulmonary function test and race

[Beefull8]

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!

[d2read]

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?

[Beefull8 in reply to d2read]

No word yet but thank goodness I’m feeling better and stepping down. Only trigger seems to be stomach flu which I caught twice since first diagnosed. I read one research study that said if race or age are wrong it can affect predicted value so wondered. Thanks!

[Ellas4th]

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.

[Maryhart Partner Asthma Educator]

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.