Lung function tests (also called pulmonary function tests) include a variety of tests that check how well your lungs work.
Spirometry is one of the most commonly ordered tests of your lung function. The spirometer measures how much air you can breathe into your lungs and how much air you can quickly blow out of your lungs. This test is done by having you take in a deep breath and then, as fast as you can, blow out all of the air. You will be blowing
into a tube connected to a machine (spirometer). To get the “best” test result, the test is repeated three times. You will be given a rest between tests.
A lung function test can help doctors diagnose lung diseases such as:
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Chronic bronchitis
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Damaged or scarred lung tissue
- Disease caused by breathing in asbestos fibers
- Sarcoidosis, a collection of inflammatory cells around organs
- Lung cancer
- Infections
- Thickened, stretched, or enlarged airways
- Thickening or hardening of your connective tissues (scleroderma)
- Weakness of the muscles in the wall of the chest