Shortness of breath is one of the main complaints that sends people to the doctor's office. One of the tools used to help diagnose the cause of breathlessness is called a spirometer. This is a kind of pulmonary function monitor (PFM) and measures the volume of air inspired and expired through the lungs. The printed output from the device is a graph, and this can indicate whether the breathing dysfunction is restrictive or obstructive. Spirometers are constructed differently to enable different strategies for measuring the movement of air (pressure transducers, ultrasound, water gauge).
Lung function tests are utilized to eliminate the presence of serious pulmonary conditions such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. They are also performed to assess the influence on the lungs of medications or ambient contaminants, to help determine the cause of breathlessness and to evaluate the progress of treatments. Lung function tests are also performed before surgery on the lungs to take benchmark measurements of lung activity.
The prominent Roman physician, Claudius Galen, performed the first lung function test some time in the second century AD. He asked a boy to inhale and exhale into a bladder. Later variants featured bell jars inverted in water. Modern PFMs include the pneumotachometer, the peak flow meter and a whole body plethysmograph.
Most causes of shortness of breath are benign and easily reversible. First, it is essential to rule out more sinister causes. The Mayo Clinic defines shortness of breath as a severe tightening of the chest and a sensation of being suffocated. There may be a single episode or there may be a pattern of episodes.
There are a handful of "red flag" signs which, when they occur at the same time as breathlessness, may indicate a serious underlying condition. These include persistent tiredness and pallor, a chronic wheeze or cough, ankle swelling, a pain that gets worse with exercise, breathlessness that worsens when lying down, any other unusual or recurring symptoms. A history of working with hazardous chemical fumes, asbestos, wood dust or in a coal mine is also something worth mentioning to the doctor.
Asthma, a chronic inflammation of the airways, is one of these serious conditions. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta estimate that, at any one time, there are as many as 18.9 million ambulatory adults with asthma. This equates to 8.2 percent of those adults who are not institutionalized.
Once any serious cause has been ruled out, most cases of breathlessness are related to one of two causes, bad respiratory habits and weak muscles; or trigger points, or muscle knots. These are both minor and easily treatable. The treatment is safe, free and almost fun. It consists of identifying and massaging trigger points.
A spirometer is an instrument that has been in use for two millennia to detect the cause of breathlessness. It can determine whether it is present and identify whether it is restrictive or obstructive but requires further investigations to rule out the presence of any serious conditions, such as emphysema, asthma or bronchitis. Once these have been eliminated from consideration, they may be attributable to either trigger points or incorrect breathing patterns.
Lung function tests are utilized to eliminate the presence of serious pulmonary conditions such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. They are also performed to assess the influence on the lungs of medications or ambient contaminants, to help determine the cause of breathlessness and to evaluate the progress of treatments. Lung function tests are also performed before surgery on the lungs to take benchmark measurements of lung activity.
The prominent Roman physician, Claudius Galen, performed the first lung function test some time in the second century AD. He asked a boy to inhale and exhale into a bladder. Later variants featured bell jars inverted in water. Modern PFMs include the pneumotachometer, the peak flow meter and a whole body plethysmograph.
Most causes of shortness of breath are benign and easily reversible. First, it is essential to rule out more sinister causes. The Mayo Clinic defines shortness of breath as a severe tightening of the chest and a sensation of being suffocated. There may be a single episode or there may be a pattern of episodes.
There are a handful of "red flag" signs which, when they occur at the same time as breathlessness, may indicate a serious underlying condition. These include persistent tiredness and pallor, a chronic wheeze or cough, ankle swelling, a pain that gets worse with exercise, breathlessness that worsens when lying down, any other unusual or recurring symptoms. A history of working with hazardous chemical fumes, asbestos, wood dust or in a coal mine is also something worth mentioning to the doctor.
Asthma, a chronic inflammation of the airways, is one of these serious conditions. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta estimate that, at any one time, there are as many as 18.9 million ambulatory adults with asthma. This equates to 8.2 percent of those adults who are not institutionalized.
Once any serious cause has been ruled out, most cases of breathlessness are related to one of two causes, bad respiratory habits and weak muscles; or trigger points, or muscle knots. These are both minor and easily treatable. The treatment is safe, free and almost fun. It consists of identifying and massaging trigger points.
A spirometer is an instrument that has been in use for two millennia to detect the cause of breathlessness. It can determine whether it is present and identify whether it is restrictive or obstructive but requires further investigations to rule out the presence of any serious conditions, such as emphysema, asthma or bronchitis. Once these have been eliminated from consideration, they may be attributable to either trigger points or incorrect breathing patterns.
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