Shortness of breath is a common reason why people visit the doctor. It can also be a diagnostic minefield. One of the first tests to be performed will be the use of a spirometer to identify the presence of abnormal breathing patterns, which may be either restrictive or obstructive. The instrument is a general term for a wide variety of strategies for measuring the movement of air into and out of the lungs (pressure transducers, ultrasound, water gauge). Modern spirometers, or pulmonary function monitors (PFMs) may be PC-based or standalone devices.
Pulmonary function tests are used to rule out lung diseases such as emphysema, bronchitis and asthma. They are also used to determine the cause of shortness of breath, assess the effects of medications or contaminants on the lungs and to monitor the progress of treatment. They are performed in advance of lung surgery as a benchmark with which to compare the effectiveness of the procedure.
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.
The vast majority of lung conditions are not serious and are easily treatable. It is important first to rule out a serious condition underlying the breathlessness. According to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota, shortness of breath is defined as an intense feeling of chest tightness accompanied by a feeling of suffocation. This can occur in a single instance or it may have a more chronic pattern.
Along with instrumentation, there are a half dozen or more so-called "red flag" symptoms and signs that may herald a serious lung condition. These include persistent pallor and fatigue, swollen ankles, a chronic wheeze or cough, having a hard time breathing when lying flat, pain worsening with activity, or any other persistent or strange symptoms. A history of working in an environment where there is asbestos, wood dust, hazardous chemical fumes or in a coal mine might also contribute to a lung disorder.
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 all serious problems have been eliminated from consideration, many cases of shortness of breath can be attributed to one of two causes, muscle knots (aka trigger points) or dysfunctional breathing habits together with weak muscles. Treatment includes exercises to strengthen the muscles. For trigger points, therapy involves massage, which is almost always successful.
The spirometer is a device that has been in use for nearly two thousand years for the detection of breathlessness. It can identify whether breathlessness is present, but further investigations are required to rule out serious conditions like asthma. Once sinister problems have been ruled out, the cause of shortness of breath is most likely a combination of trigger points and dysfunctional breathing technique. This can be easily remedied with a regime of trigger point massage and breathing exercises.
Pulmonary function tests are used to rule out lung diseases such as emphysema, bronchitis and asthma. They are also used to determine the cause of shortness of breath, assess the effects of medications or contaminants on the lungs and to monitor the progress of treatment. They are performed in advance of lung surgery as a benchmark with which to compare the effectiveness of the procedure.
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.
The vast majority of lung conditions are not serious and are easily treatable. It is important first to rule out a serious condition underlying the breathlessness. According to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota, shortness of breath is defined as an intense feeling of chest tightness accompanied by a feeling of suffocation. This can occur in a single instance or it may have a more chronic pattern.
Along with instrumentation, there are a half dozen or more so-called "red flag" symptoms and signs that may herald a serious lung condition. These include persistent pallor and fatigue, swollen ankles, a chronic wheeze or cough, having a hard time breathing when lying flat, pain worsening with activity, or any other persistent or strange symptoms. A history of working in an environment where there is asbestos, wood dust, hazardous chemical fumes or in a coal mine might also contribute to a lung disorder.
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 all serious problems have been eliminated from consideration, many cases of shortness of breath can be attributed to one of two causes, muscle knots (aka trigger points) or dysfunctional breathing habits together with weak muscles. Treatment includes exercises to strengthen the muscles. For trigger points, therapy involves massage, which is almost always successful.
The spirometer is a device that has been in use for nearly two thousand years for the detection of breathlessness. It can identify whether breathlessness is present, but further investigations are required to rule out serious conditions like asthma. Once sinister problems have been ruled out, the cause of shortness of breath is most likely a combination of trigger points and dysfunctional breathing technique. This can be easily remedied with a regime of trigger point massage and breathing exercises.
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