Peak flow reading.

[1968]

Morning everyone, just a quickie. My Peak flow reading is always 370 morning noon and night, before and after exercise. I'm stage 1 bullous emphysema with fev1 81% not on any medication. Last Ct scan was back in 2012, I take it if my copd progress then my Peak flow will decline? Is 370 good?

[peege]

Hi. I may be wrong & happy to be corrected .... I understood that peak flow was more used in asthma rather than copd.

I await more knowledgable replies 😃

[casper99]

Morning 1968. From what I've read on here, peak flow is more relavent to Asthma.

I have an old peak flow meter and did use it until I read that and haven't bothered with it since. (I was getting a bit obsessive with it anyway.) I suppose it could have some bearing when having an excarbation and your chest is tight.

The anxiety this disease causes is the pits isn't it?

[Hidden]

Hi 1968 that sounds pretty good to me. I do maximum 350 on peak and flow with asthma and last time it was checked in February this year it was 75%. My FEV1 was 78%. I have asthma and copd and there is some correlation between them but I am not sure of the facts or figures. Hope this helps. x

[O2Trees]

I do about 330 usually, occasionally 350, but it goes down if i have a flare-up to around 200-250. Like everyone says peak flow is a measure of asthma breathing whereas spirometry measures forced expiritry volume in one second, (fev1) but lots of us have both copd and asthma. I have severe stage 3 copd with fev1 of 38%.

If you have spirometry on the big and complex equipment, you will get both results from the FEV1 test.

And in answer to your question, 370 isn't bad at all, though having said that, i know nothing of your clinical situation

[soulsaver]

peakflow norms vary by age height and sex... and type of meter.

see here:

peakflow.com/top_nav/normal...

[rubyred777]

Hi 1968

My reading is 320-350. Your reading of 370 sounds good to me. A males reading should be higher than a females.

Good luck

Rubyxx 😊 😊

[sukee52]

Just to prove the point that for COPD the Peak flow isn't too concerning, my normal peak flow is around 150, and during my last DO, I don't like the word exacerbation, it dropped to 90, my doctor always tells me to go on how I feel rather than the numbers. I only use it when I am feeling more breathless than usual, just to check if I need to up my meds a bit for a few days.

[Offcut]

Sukee52 has hit it on the head if you are feeling okay go with that. it is not like a bruise that we know will go away in a few days or so?

Peak flow is a good way to benchmark how you are blowing out and that is about it.

Be Well