Functional diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Functional diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is important for identifying and quantifying airflow limitation, reversibility, disease severity and exacerbations. Functional diagnosis is also important for long-term therapeutic monitoring and for establishing the need for pulmonary rehabilitation. From the functional standpoint, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is characterised by a progressive airflow limitation which is not fully reversible. Spirometry is the gold standard for diagnosing the disease and monitoring its progression as it is non-invasive, standardised, reproducible, and objective. Spirometry should measure forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and the ratio of these two measurements. Post-bronchodilator FEV1 < 80% of the predicted value and FEV1/FVC ratio < 70% confirms the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.