How Lung Health Tests Help Diagnose Top 6 Lung Diseases

Hearing a doctor say, “You need a pulmonary function test” can be alarming, but can also provide some much-needed answers. This test can help determine why you’re coughing or having difficulty breathing, opening up the opportunity to get treated. Phoenix Family Medical wants to help you understand why you may get this type of recommendation. Here are the most common reasons you might need to take a pulmonary function test.

Asthma can tighten the tubes that carry oxygen to your capillaries. This type of swelling decreases your full lung capacity and creates a tight chest. This is because you’re not getting enough oxygen into your lungs, blood and other vital organs. If you have a history of asthma in your family, Phoenix Family Medical Clinic performs an annual screening for all patients to perform a preventative tests before problems even start manifesting. Periodic pulmonary function tests, or spirometry testing, is one option. This is where you fill your lungs completely with air and exhale into a cylinder attachment with a monitoring device that calculates how much air your lungs can hold. The test is non-invasive and can provide insight into how your lungs are functioning. Here’s another video by Nucleus Medical Media showing how both healthy and unhealthy lungs perform.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is another form of lung disease that affects your overall lung capacity. Both asthma and COPD can occur at any time in your life – not just at childhood. These lung diseases can last throughout your lifetime or only for periods of time. A spirometer test may be recommended to get vital information about lung capacity. This test, combined with chest x-rays and arterial blood gas test results, can help determine whether you have COPD. Here are some treatment plan options specific to this lung disease.

Other lung diseases that can threaten your lung health include lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, and more.