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Use of Office Spirometry in Primary-Care Clinics

Article information

J Korean Med Assoc. 2006;49(7):612-622
Publication date (electronic) : 2006 July 31
doi : https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2006.49.7.612
Kwan-Ho Lee, MD
Division of Pulmonary-Allergology Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Korea. ghlee@med.yu.ac.kr

Abstract

Early diagnosis and smoking cessation are the only effective ways to stop or delay the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is true that primary-care physicians rarely use spirometry to establish the diagnosis of COPD in smokers or to detect COPD or asthma in patients with respiratory symptoms or signs. Recently, however, with the advances in the development of electrical devices, a new category of spirometry, "office spirometry", has been introduced. Office spirometry is a simple, safe, and noninvasive test. In addition, it takes only a few minutes for the patient and technician to perform office spirometry, which includes a few breathing maneuvers of a 6-second duration. Primary-care physicians are strongly encouraged to perform an office spirometry test in patients with respiratory symptoms such as chronic cough, sputum, wheezing, dyspnea or in patients over 45 years of age who report smoking cigarettes in order to detect COPD.

Keywords: Office spirometry; Early diagnosis; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

References

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Article information Continued

Copyright © 2006 Korean Medical Association

Figure 1

Figure 1

Simple chest X-ray, arterial blood gas analysis and pulmonary function test to diagnose the cause of dyspnea initially

Figure 2

Figure 2

The test of office spirometry

Figure 3

Figure 3

The volume-time curves of normal, obstructive and restrictive ventilatory impairment

Figure 4

Figure 4

The flow-volume loops according to various pulmonary diseases

Figure 5

Figure 5

The figure of available office spirometries

Table 1

Indications of office spirometry

Table 1

Table 2

The process of office spirometry

Table 2

Table 3

The comparisons of available office spirometries

Table 3