Spirometry results: what should I look for?

Anyone done a spirometry test lately? What were your FVC and FEV1 numbers look like (in percentages)?

I head in for checkups every three months since I deal with asthma... but tell me, what exactly are you looking for here? You aren't seriously trying to compare our Ford levels, are you? 😬

Roughly 70%. It was actually sitting at that level about a year and a half ago.

Grandpa was feeling pretty under the weather yesterday 😁

Should I head over to the clinic to grab his test results? 😉

Go ahead and give 😁
a shot! Then we can set up a little competition
. Honestly, I bet you’d crush it and finish right near the top 🤣.

Someone told me the cost would be about 1/3 of what you'd normally pay 😵
.

My FVC is at 90% and my FEV1 is 97%!! I’m low-key freaking out because why aren't these numbers hitting a perfect 100? My doctor says everything looks fine, but I still can't shake this anxiety.😕
Is there actually any reason to worry here??

Piggy said:Roughly 70%. It was like that a year and a half ago.

That low? You having any breathing issues—asthma, bronchitis, anything—or are you doing alright?

gentlemaker35 said:My FVC is at 90% and my FEV1 is 97%!! I'm honestly a bit worried about why I'm not hitting those perfect 100% marks. My doctor insists everything looks fine, but I just can't shake this anxiety...😕
Is there any actual reason for me to be concerned??

Oh come on, buddy, did your doctor literally tell you "NO"?! Seriously, I was bracing myself for a 25% reading, and here you are dropping a 90%! Everything is perfectly fine...🙂

Mark Brooks87 said:Oh please, did the doctor tell you "NO WAY!"? Like, "I was expecting 25%, but you're claiming 90%! It's all fine, buddy!" 🙂

Thanks. Hopefully I can finally get it through my head that there's nothing to worry about.

gentlemaker35 said:A little bit? Are you dealing with any breathing issues—like asthma or bronchitis—or is everything totally fine?

I sing opera, so I don't have any issues. I actually had a spirometry test done back at my university—it's part of the curriculum—and they told me my results were perfectly normal. 🙂

Got it, thanks.

Mark Brooks87 said:Oh, come on—did your doctor seriously tell you "NO!"? Like, "Whoa, hold on there, I was expecting maybe 25% and you’re out here hitting 90%! Everything is totally fine!" 🙂

Mark Brooks87, you're absolutely right, but honestly, it helps to take the weight off people's shoulders—so here's an answer that should clear things up for both you and gentlemaker35:
Look, you really don't have anything to worry about, even if you're overthinking certain details.
Let's be real: FEV1 levels—and any other metrics used to track lung obstruction or asthma—are never going to hit a perfect 100%. Even healthy people struggle to hit those numbers sometimes.
I deal with serious breathing obstructions myself, where my doctors constantly bounce back and forth between diagnosing me with allergic asthma, chronic asthma, or some kind of chronic obstructive condition. It's a moving target.
You need to understand that the recently adopted criteria for asthma—shortened to GINA
(Global Initiative for Asthma) which defines the various stages of the disease—is based on PEF:
1. Severe intermittent stage (PEF >= 80% of predicted)
2. Mild persistent stage (PEF >= 80%)—with nighttime symptoms twice a month
3. Moderate persistent stage (>60% to 4. Severe persistent stage (
So, you shouldn't be losing sleep if your plethysmography measurements (your spirometry)
show FEV1 percentages in these ranges:
FEV1 stands for Forced Expiratory Volume in one second, expressed as a percentage (%).

Based on FEV-1, the lung function criteria are as follows:

>=80% of predicted – Normal function

70-80% – Ventilatory impairment

60-69% – Mild ventilatory insufficiency

40-59% – Moderate to severe ventilatory insufficiency



ADVICE:
Anyone who wants to monitor their PEF levels at home every morning—which is a great idea, by the way
can just pick up a standard peak flow meter. They're cheap, usually around $20, and you can just blow into it every day and jot the numbers down on paper.
Naturally, if your numbers show a steady decline, you want to take preventative measures immediately before you hit a full-blown relapse or an asthma attack.
On the flip side, when your PEF is steadily rising and trending upward, it might be a good time to give your body a break from heavy medications that impact the heart (like albuterol) or bone density, or things like corticosteroids and aminophylline, which can be pretty rough on the stomach.
If this helps you sleep better, then I've done my job.👍

Just one quick correction here:
Regarding the PEF section, you really need to strike out the word difficult under point number one.
Basically, point one refers to mild intermittent asthma: the PEF should be ≥ 80%, nighttime symptoms occur no more than twice a month, and overall asthma symptoms only pop up about once a week.

@ redcrane6: You laid that out perfectly. A solid five stars for both the insight and the commitment... 👍 😉

Mark Brooks87 said:@ redcrane6: You hit the nail on the head there. That’s a solid five-star take—both in terms of pure facts and actual commitment. 👍 😉

Thanks, Mark Brooks87. I just got back from my trip and caught up on this. Are there any other issues you think I should weigh in on? Also, do you personally deal with asthma or any breathing obstructions?
For me, things tend to get a bit erratic—right now I'm actually having a flare-up, so I'm doing everything in my power to steer clear of NSAIDs (since they are proven to trigger issues for anyone with asthma).
Most of these symptoms seem to pop up right when cold and flu season starts hitting.👍

redcrane6 said:Thanks Mark Brooks87, I just got back from my trip and saw this. Is there anything else I can help out with? Do you have asthma or any breathing issues?

Unfortunately, I’m an asthma sufferer by the book😢
but honestly, this Seretide works wonders for me. I'm still using Tafen Nasal too, and it makes me feel like a newborn... 😬
I have a follow-up appointment next week, so we'll see if we can scale back the dosage or maybe switch things up entirely...
My doctor actually wanted to run an aspirin challenge test and keep me in the hospital for a few days, but I've been pretty clever about dodging that. Between my schedule and just not feeling up for it, I managed to get out of it... 😬

Mark Brooks87 said:Unfortunately, I’m an asthma sufferer who follows all the rules to a T...😢
but honestly, this Seretide is working wonders for me—I'm still using my Albuterol inhaler occasionally, and I feel like a newborn again. 😬
I have a check-up next week, so I'm hoping we can significantly scale back the dosage or maybe even switch things up entirely; we'll see how it goes...
My doctor actually wanted to run an aspirin challenge test and keep me in the hospital for a few days, but I've been skillfully dodging that—between my schedule and just plain old lack of interest, I really don't have the time or the desire.😬

Look, I totally get where you're coming from. For those of us dealing with asthma, aspirin can be a real nightmare—it can trigger a massive attack out of nowhere—but it isn't just aspirin; other painkillers like Voltaren, Ibuprofen, or pretty much any standard analgesic can set things off too.
Regardless, even with the Seretide, you should try to keep your intake as moderate as possible since it does contain corticosteroids.
Best,

Hey everyone,
I’ve got something on my mind that I’m genuinely struggling to wrap my head around. To give you some context, I was an athlete for about 13 years, and we always did annual checkups—things like stress tests, spirometry, the whole nine yards. Every single year, everything came back perfectly normal. Even three years ago, I had to go in for a routine physical because of work, and I passed with flying colors. But lately, things have taken a weird turn. During our yearly screenings, my spirometry results have been absolutely disastrous. Honestly, looking at the numbers on paper, you’d think I was bedridden. Every time this happens, my internist grills me about whether I smoke or if I’ve ever dealt with asthma, but I just breeze through the appointment. They aren't exactly the most conversational doctors, so I just get it over with. Here’s the kicker: I stay incredibly active. During the summer, I spend a ton of time free-diving. I can hold my breath underwater for up to two and a half minutes, and my cardiovascular fitness is top-notch—on a stress test at max load, my heart rate only hit 160 bpm. Plus, I don't have any breathing issues whatsoever, and I don't suffer from any allergies. It makes zero sense to me. Based strictly on what those spirometry results say, I should be struggling to catch my breath constantly, but I feel fine. Any ideas?

George Chase5 said:Hey everyone,
I’ve got something on my mind that I’m genuinely struggling to wrap my head around. To give you some context, I was an athlete for about 13 years, and we always did annual checkups—things like stress tests, spirometry, the whole nine yards. Every single year, everything came back perfectly normal. Even three years ago, I had to go in for a routine physical because of work, and I passed with flying colors. But lately, things have taken a weird turn. During our yearly screenings, my spirometry results have been absolutely disastrous. Honestly, looking at the numbers on paper, you’d think I was bedridden. Every time this happens, my internist grills me about whether I smoke or if I’ve ever dealt with asthma, but I just breeze through the appointment. They aren't exactly the most conversational doctors, so I just get it over with. Here’s the kicker: I stay incredibly active. During the summer, I spend a ton of time free-diving. I can hold my breath underwater for up to two and a half minutes, and my cardiovascular fitness is top-notch—on a stress test at max load, my heart rate only hit 160 bpm. Plus, I don't have any breathing issues whatsoever, and I don't suffer from any allergies. It makes zero sense to me. Based strictly on what those spirometry results say, I should be struggling to catch my breath constantly, but I feel fine. Any ideas?

The Global Initiative for Asthma has updated their criteria for asthma and general obstructive pulmonary diseases.
They've moved to just three categories now, but in your case, it's entirely possible you're dealing with a specific type of obstruction that needs its own deep dive. Otherwise, the whole situation just feels completely disconnected and illogical.😕

To my fellow members, I frequently experience shortness of breath, but it doesn't seem to be tied to physical exertion. In fact, right now, I feel winded even while just sitting still—that unsettling sensation where you feel like you simply can't get enough air. Curiously, when I went out for a fifteen-minute run yesterday (with a few brief breaks), I didn't feel any breathlessness at all. It’s quite baffling to me. I’ve been doing some reading on the subject, which has unfortunately triggered a bit of a panic attack; I have this mild shortness of breath, some tingling in my nose and hands, and just a general sense of dread 😢 ...though I know what's happening, so I'm trying not to let it consume me too much. I have consulted various doctors, but they haven't found anything wrong; they've listened to my lungs repeatedly, yet everything seems normal. I haven't undergone spirometry testing yet, but for those of you with experience, does the fact that I can hold my breath for two minutes signify anything? Does it suggest my lung capacity is healthy? For comparison, my wife experiences no shortness of breath, yet she can't hold her breath for more than a minute. Thank you in advance; any insight or help would be greatly appreciated!