HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

What Does Normal Breathing Test In A Person With Asthma Indicate?

Posted on Wed, 15 Apr 2015

Question: My adult son is on disability. One of his problems is asthma -- almost lifelong. He is seeing a new doctor's assistant. She seemed to be okay for a while. I am going to the same clinic since he gets forgetful. They put us in the same room for our third visit. She started lecturing me -- very upsetting. But what bothered me most was my son had just gotten better from a week-long severe asthma attack. She asked him what made him think he had asthma, that he had passed the breathing test. This was a test where one had to breath deeply and expel as slow as possible three times. He said he had had it all his life when she asked him who diagnosed him. Of course he did not know, since it started when he was a baby. Does the fact that he passed a breathing test, he does not have asthma? She asked many other questions and made statements that I won't go into. What say you?

Answered by Dr. Gyanshankar Mishra (34 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
PFT (breathing test) is almost diagnostic of asthma.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for posting the query on HCM. After going through your query, I would like to comment the following:

1. Your son seems to have breathlessness since childhood. Such a symptom needs evaluation.

2. A normal breathing test (PFT -Pulmonary function test or spirometry - with reversibility testing i.e. repeating breathing test after 20 minutes of an inhaler medicine ) normally implies that your lung functions are nomraml at that point of time. I am not sure what type of breathing test was performed on him.

3. In this circumstance, I would suggest that you get your son evaluated in detail by a Pulmonologist.

4. Investigations required are chest xray, serum IgE levels, eosinophil counts, etc.

5. Breathlessness since childhood definitely needs evaluation. There are many pointers in history which hint towards asthma.

6. If your son is symptomatically ok at present, I suggest that the next time he develops symptoms, you get him evaluated by a pulmonologist during the symptomatic episode.

I will be glad to answer follow up queries if any. Please accept my answer if you have no follow up queries.

Regards
Dr. Gyanshankar Mishra
MBBS MD DNB
Consultant Pulmonologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Gyanshankar Mishra (45 minutes later)

Thank you for your answer. Never thought about the breathing being something else.
He was certainly better when he went to the doctor's office the day of the breathing test. I have had the same test since then and it was breathing de eply and exhaling as slowly as possible for three times. He has said his was the same.

My son worked from the time he was in school in closed, poorly vented offices with several chemicals that I found out later were highly poisonous. Once the only ventilation he had was a bathroom vent without a window -- this for five years. Before I finally talked him into quitting that type of job, I don't think he would have lived much longer had he not quit. He looked close to death to me.

When he went before the social security judge, I had made a list of the chemicals and it turned out the judge was also a chemist. My son has other problems also. That judge gave his approval for disability.

One doctor has diagnosed my son in the past, with COPD. I am going to see if they will refer my son to a pulmonologist. He is scheduled for a sleeping test. One time before he took that test and stopped breathing several times.

Again, thank you.

Answered by Dr. Gyanshankar Mishra (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
A ct scan thorax may be required.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for the follow up info. Sorry that he had to be exposed to the chemicals. Good that you got him to quit.

After going through history I would recommend the following:

1. A Chest Xray / CT scan of the thorax may be reqired to assess any structural involvement/ disease of the lungs.
2. A pulmonary function test during his symptomatic episode may help.
3. A detailed evaluation by a Pulmonologist is required.

I will be glad to answer follow up queries if any. Please accept my answer if you have no follow up queries.

Regards
Dr. Gyanshankar Mishra
MBBS MD DNB
Consultant Pulmonologist

Note: For further information on diet changes to reduce allergy symptoms or to boost your immunity, Ask here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Pradeep Vitta