Mostly we don`t think about breathing until it becomes difficult isn`t it.
Lungs are vital organs present in us similar to heart, kidney and liver etc. It is essential to keep our lungs in good shape for our lives to be normal. During inhalation, lungs take in oxygen from the air and transfer it to the bloodstream through air sacs or alveoli. In the same way, carbon dioxide moves from blood into alveoli and gets removed. This is termed as respiration.
Pollution, smoking and lung cancer etc have made it compulsory for us to take care of lung health.
Importance of lung tests:
By means of lung tests, we would be able to diagnose and treat respiratory issues like asthma, COPD etc.
Various lung tests are
Spirometry:
The amount of air we can breathe in and out and the speed with which we do this is measured by a spirometry test. This is a basic test for lung function. By taking a deep breath and blowing hard into the machine, asthma, COPD etc can be detected in us.
Peak flow test:
It must be noted that the peak flow test is a quick breathing check. This test determines the peak rate at which air would be blown out from the lungs. Here a handheld device is used and when we blow into this device then how much air gets pushed out of our lungs could be found out. Asthma patients use this test to keep a check on their lung function at home.
Lung volume test:
Known as pulmonary function test, measures the amount of air the lungs could hold. Various lung conditions could be diagnosed by this superb test. By means of lung volume test, lung diseases can be identified plus severity of breathing issues can be identified. It must be noted that this test can be used to evaluate lung functions before surgery.
Arterial blood gas test or ABG test:
This test would determine the effectiveness of the lungs in gas exchanging and regulating oxygen and carbon dioxide levels etc. For those patients with severe lung issues, ABG test is used.
Diffusion capacity test or DLCO:
It is noteworthy that DLCO or diffusing capacity of lungs for carbon monoxide would measure how effificiently oxygen would move from lungs to the bloodstream. This test would help in identifying hidden damage in the lung tissues etc.
Six minute walk test:
The strength of our lungs while doing physical activity can be measured by this test. Here, we must walk for 6 minutes and heart rate and oxygen levels are determined.
Imaging test like X-Ray, CT Scan etc:
With the help of the pictures taken by X-Ray and CT Scan etc, it would be possible to identify infections, tumours, scarring etc in the lungs.
