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).
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.
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 is a chronic condition involving inflammation of the airways. It is potentially serious and may be fatal. According to the CDC in Georgia, at any one time in the United States there are 18.9 million non-institutionalized adults diagnosed with this condition. This amounts to 8.2% of the population.
Once serious causes of breathlessness have been eliminated from the differential diagnosis, many cases can be traced to one of two simple and easily remedied causes, either trigger points, also known as muscle knots, or dysfunctional respiratory habits and weak muscles. The treatment for both is safe, cost-free and easily performed by the patient. It involves a program of exercise and trigger point massage.
Invented shortly after Christ walked the Earth, the spirometer is a handy tool for diagnosing the cause of shortness of breath. It can determine the presence of abnormal ventilation, but further tests are often required to eliminate from consideration conditions like asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, among others. Most cases of breathlessness stem from an easily treatable condition, either trigger points, dysfunctional breathing patterns or a combination of the two.
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.
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 is a chronic condition involving inflammation of the airways. It is potentially serious and may be fatal. According to the CDC in Georgia, at any one time in the United States there are 18.9 million non-institutionalized adults diagnosed with this condition. This amounts to 8.2% of the population.
Once serious causes of breathlessness have been eliminated from the differential diagnosis, many cases can be traced to one of two simple and easily remedied causes, either trigger points, also known as muscle knots, or dysfunctional respiratory habits and weak muscles. The treatment for both is safe, cost-free and easily performed by the patient. It involves a program of exercise and trigger point massage.
Invented shortly after Christ walked the Earth, the spirometer is a handy tool for diagnosing the cause of shortness of breath. It can determine the presence of abnormal ventilation, but further tests are often required to eliminate from consideration conditions like asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, among others. Most cases of breathlessness stem from an easily treatable condition, either trigger points, dysfunctional breathing patterns or a combination of the two.
0 comments:
Post a Comment