When you have a disability or chronic illness, one of the most important things you can do is to learn as much as you can about it.  The more you know, the easier it should be to get a handle on those days when you feel like it is a constant battle and you are not sure you are winning.

Knowing the language or words that go with COPD/Asthma is a great way to start or to continue to refresh a person’s knowledge of the ins and outs of the lifelong health companion which we are dealing with.

With all that in mind, let’s discuss the word ‘FEV1’.

‘FEV1’ is the short version of ‘forced expiratory volume in the first second’ which is a test to see how well your lungs function.

This test measures the volume of air you can force out in one second after taking the deepest breath you can during a Pulmonary Function Test.  The measurement taken will fall as your airway become more constricted.

A patients ‘FEV1’ measurement is what pulmonologists use when determining the degree of airway obstruction that patient may have.  The measurement they get from a ‘FEV1’ test is what is most commonly used to gauge a presence and severity of COPD.

These numbers may vary according to a patient’s age, height, race, weight and gender, so when a pulmonologist interprets a patients FEV1 number they do so depending on what is expected in an average person of that patients demographic grouping.

If your pulmonologist is using the system developed by the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) then the severity of a patient’s COPD is divided into four grades or stages classified by spirometry measurement, with those being the following:

> > GOLD/Stage 1 or Mild – – a FEV1 reading of greater than or equal to 80%

> > GOLD/Stage 2 or Moderate – – a FEV1 reading of between 50-79%

> > GOLD/Stage 3 or Severe – – a FEV1 reading of between 30-49%

> > GOLD/Stage 4 or Very Severe – – a FEV1 reading of less than 30%

We could easily go on about a person’s spirometry test and their FEV1 numbers for much longer, but for now this is the basics and the must know for anyone battling COPD/Asthma.

In your own individual battle with COPD and/or asthma, be sure to learn and understand the words of importance in understanding what is going on within these battles – today that word of importance is ‘FEV1’ – know and understand your FEV1 number.

As always – if you or anyone you know have any symptoms involving lung and breathing functionality, and they linger over and over while disrupting a lifestyle – then please ask questions and get it checked out.

NOTE TO REMEMBER: We only give descriptions and highlights of various aspects of having COPD and/or asthma and no way do we ever want our information to be considered medical treatment type of information, always consult your physician for more, clearer and more medical founded information.

Remember – ‘a person without good breathing, is a person without a good life’, so let’s do what we can, to learn what we can, to improve what we can.

With that I bid to all – smiles, prayers, blessings and steady breathing – Mr. William.

(Copyright@2017, CrossDove Writer, reprinting or reuse of this article is restricted without written permission.)

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(Information gathered from various books and internet sources discussing COPD, Asthma and other lung diseases)