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).
Various lung function tests are employed to eliminate serious lung conditions such as bronchitis, asthma and emphysema. They can determine the cause of breathlessness, investigate the effects of medication or airborne contaminants on the lungs and to watch the progress of treatment. They are conducted prior to surgery on the lungs to provide a benchmark of pulmonary function.
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 half a dozen or so red flag symptoms which, in conjunction with shortness of breath, may point to a serious problem. These red flags include being pale or tired all the time, a chronic cough or wheeze, swollen ankles, difficulty breathing when lying flat, a pain that worsens with exercise, a history of working around asbestos, industrial fumes, wood dust, or in a coal mine and any other persistent or unusual symptoms. If you experience any of the above, then you should consult your doctor.
Asthma, a chronic disease of the airways, is somewhat more serious. According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, 18.9 million non-institutionalized adults have asthma at any one time. This represents 8.2 percent of that 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.
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.
Various lung function tests are employed to eliminate serious lung conditions such as bronchitis, asthma and emphysema. They can determine the cause of breathlessness, investigate the effects of medication or airborne contaminants on the lungs and to watch the progress of treatment. They are conducted prior to surgery on the lungs to provide a benchmark of pulmonary function.
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 half a dozen or so red flag symptoms which, in conjunction with shortness of breath, may point to a serious problem. These red flags include being pale or tired all the time, a chronic cough or wheeze, swollen ankles, difficulty breathing when lying flat, a pain that worsens with exercise, a history of working around asbestos, industrial fumes, wood dust, or in a coal mine and any other persistent or unusual symptoms. If you experience any of the above, then you should consult your doctor.
Asthma, a chronic disease of the airways, is somewhat more serious. According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, 18.9 million non-institutionalized adults have asthma at any one time. This represents 8.2 percent of that 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.
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.