Home HealthTopics Health Centers Reference Library Research
Join us on Facebook Join us on Facebook Share on Facebook
Share

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

New Diagnosis of COPD Severe

03/29/2011

Question:

I have just been diagosed with severe copd.I am extremely overweight and I wonder if the lung function test can be acurate? especially when I have extreme weight around the chest and stomach which causes makes it very hard to get a full good breath to begin with. My problems only arise when i am climbing stairs or long walks and for severe copd i thought the symptoms were harsher. The doctor said my lung function test was 49 percent and did excellent with the 6 minute exercise test. should I retest? when I lose weight?

Answer:

Without knowing the rest of your pulmonary function test parameters and your history, it is difficult for us to determine how much weight vs. COPD is affecting your lung function. You should discuss this further with your physician since extreme obesity can impair lung function.

For more information:

Go to the COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) health topic, where you can:

Response by:

Mahasti Rittinger, RRT Mahasti Rittinger, RRT
Clinical Program Manager of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University

Phillip T Diaz, MD Phillip T Diaz, MD
Professor of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University