Spirometry News and Research

RSS

Spirometry is a type of pulmonary function test that provides information about the function of the lungs that can be used for a variety of purposes. The test uses a spirometer, a specialized machine with a tube connected, to measure the speed and volume of air that is exhaled into the tube.

COPD-asthma overlap ‘needs greater recognition’

More attention should be given to patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and concomitant asthma, after a study showed that nearly one-fifth of patients with COPD fall into this subtype.

30 Apr 2013

Cyclist pollution exposure minimized by use of quieter roads

Research suggests that using quieter streets with less traffic exposes city cyclists to lower levels of air pollution than using more congested routes, although wind-speed has a significant influence on levels of pollution exposure experienced each day.

14 Feb 2013

COPD underdiagnosed in Chinese lung cancer patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is underdiagnosed and undertreated among lung cancer patients in China, study results show.

4 Feb 2013

Apelin-12 levels increased in childhood asthma

Children with asthma demonstrate significantly increased serum levels of the adipokine apelin-12, researchers report.

25 Jan 2013

Call for more COPD screening for smokers

Screening smokers with spirometry for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease picks up more cases than symptom-based detection, research suggests.

22 Jan 2013

Degree of emphysema predicts mortality in ever-smokers with or without COPD

Severity of emphysema, as measured by computed tomography (CT), is a strong independent predictor of all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in ever-smokers with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study from researchers in Norway. In patients with severe emphysema, airway wall thickness is also associated with mortality from respiratory causes.

18 Jan 2013

New once-daily dual bronchodilator effective in COPD

A once-daily, inhaled, fixed-dose dual bronchodilator combination has greater efficacy than twice-daily salmeterol plus fluticasone for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, results of the phase III ILLUMINATE trial show.

18 Dec 2012

BRFSS survey offers state-level rates of COPD prevalence

The age-adjusted prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) varies considerably within the United States, from less than 4 percent of the population in Washington and Minnesota to more than 9 percent in Alabama and Kentucky.

22 Nov 2012

Acute cough should raise asthma alarm

Around one-fifth of patients consulting their primary care physician for acute cough could have undiagnosed asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, show the results of a pan-European study.

20 Nov 2012

NIEHS announces finalists of My Air, My Health Challenge

Four finalists have been selected in the My Air, My Health Challenge, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its challenge partners. Each finalist will receive $15,000, and will transform their designs to measure air pollutants and related physiological measurements into working systems. One overall winner will receive a cash award of $100,000 to be announced in June 2013.

16 Nov 2012

Older patients with COPD at increased risk for carotid artery plaque formation: Study

Older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are at increased risk for carotid artery plaque formation and for the presence of vulnerable plaques with a lipid core, according to a new study from researchers in the Netherlands.

29 Oct 2012

Simple five-question survey may lead to increased diagnoses of COPD

A simple, five-question patient-administered survey (COPD-PS) may lead to increased diagnoses of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

22 Oct 2012

Early exposure to traffic-related air pollution affects respiratory health in children

Exposure to ambient air pollution from traffic during infancy is associated with lung function deficits in children up to eight years of age, particularly among children sensitized to common allergens, according to a new study.

12 Oct 2012

Parametric response mapping could improve diagnosis and treatment of COPD

A new approach to lung scanning could improve the diagnosis and treatment of a lung disease that affects approximately 24 million Americans and is the country's third-highest cause of death.

8 Oct 2012

I COUGH program reduces likelihood of respiratory complications in surgical patients

Respiratory complications—including pneumonia and ventilator dependency—are among the most common complications that occur after operations. But a simple and inexpensive postoperative pulmonary care program known as "I COUGH" reduces the likelihood of those life-threatening and costly complications, researchers from Boston University Medical Center reported today at the 2012 American College of Surgeons (ACS) Annual Clinical Congress.

5 Oct 2012

First global benchmarks for assessing lung function across entire life span

New research has established the first global benchmarks for assessing lung function across the entire life span. The lung growth charts will help healthcare professionals better understand lung disease progression and help raise awareness of lung disease, which is the world's leading cause of death.

5 Sep 2012

SPIRIVA to mark 10th anniversary with European Respiratory Society Congress

Coinciding with the annual European Respiratory Society Congress, ERS 2012, SPIRIVA (tiotropium), the first once-daily long-acting inhaled anticholinergic maintenance treatment for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) will mark its 10th anniversary since launch.

3 Sep 2012