Regular home spirometry tests can help ILD symptom management

A new study has found that taking regular spirometry tests at home can help to spot changes in breathlessness for people with interstitial lung disease (ILD).

The research will be presented at the ERS International Congress. It has been awarded an ELF Travel Grant, which recognises the best abstracts in patient-centred research submitted to the Congress.

What did the study look at?

The research looked at how home spirometry using a smart device could track changes in breathing over time. The researchers collected spirometry test information from 101 people over 3 months.

They looked at the results of different measurements taken during a spirometry test. These were compared to a person’s breathlessness score at the start of the experiment, and at the end of the 3 months.

What do the results show?

The results considered the different measurements taken during a spirometry test. While some of these measurements had no links with breathlessness, one key link was found: people with little change in air flow measurements through the small airways were more likely to report more severe breathlessness.

Why is this important?

People with ILD report that managing symptoms and spotting changes in symptoms earlier are important to them. This study suggests that home spirometry tests could be a useful tool to help with this.

View the research poster and a video from the lead author discussing his work:

Title: Variability in home spirometry is associated with dyspnoea in interstitial lung disease

https://europeanlung.org/en/elf-patient-organisation-networking-day-2023-posters/iain-stewart-poster/