A bout h alf a million people die every year due to COPD in India, which is over four times the number of people who die due to COPD in USA and Europe. Yet,In this modern era, where diagnostic tools dominate clinical practice in other disease conditions, Spirometry is an often badly neglected diagnostic tool. On the occasion of World Spirometry Day which falls on 27 th June, a questionnaire based survey was conducted by Chest Research Foundation, Pune, in the major 24 cities of India across Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. The survey revealed that 89 per cent of people had never heard of spirometry!
COPD and asthma remain poorly diagnosed or wrongly diagnosed by health care providers. Spirometry which is the gold standard diagnostic test, remains poorly utilised in clinical practice. Clinicians are not aware that relying on history and clinical examination only to diagnose these diseases under-estimates the disease in over 50 per cent of cases. This leads to a large number of cases being undiagnosed and consequently untreated. Commenting on the issue, Dr Sundeep Salvi, Director, Chest Research Foundation said “Trying to control serious respiratory diseases without using a Spirometer is like trying to control a patient’s blood pressure without bothering to use a sphygmomanometer (BP Apparatus). Management of COPD and asthma without objective measurements provided by a Spirometer is like groping in the dark. It is unfair to the patient.”
“Spirometry is actually as easy to conduct and interpret as an ECG and sonography.” Dr Salvi affirmed. Dr Monica Barne from Chest Research Foundation said, “Spirometry is poorly taught in medical colleges. Hence most doctors believe that it is not as essential a test. Doctors also continue to believe that spirometry is expensive, difficult to conduct and that its interpretation requires special expertise. Given the state of the nation’s respiratory health, we cannot afford such myths that play with the lives of millions. For the patient there can be no stronger evidence than a spirogram. It removes resistance to inhalation therapy, which is best for both asthma and COPD. And it also helps improve compliance as the graph shows the progress the patient has made.”
CRF has been conducting regular training programmes in spirometry for doctors and laboratory technicians. It has also developed distance education programmes and a unique online quality assurance programme to promote the use of this diagnostic tool all over the country.
The International Forum for Respiratory Societies, the European Lung Foundation and the European Respiratory Society have together instituted World Spirometry Day today, 27 th June 2012 to increase the awareness about spirometry among the masses.
EH News Bureau