What should you know about clifton spirometer?

During spirometry, you breathe into a mouthpiece connected to the device. The reading can show how easily air moves through the airways and whether the lungs hold less air than expected. A clinician may compare results with your age, height, and sex, then consider symptoms such as cough, wheeze, or breathlessness. A single reading is not a complete diagnosis; technique, tiredness, smoking, recent illness, and medicines can influence it.

Wear comfortable clothing that does not restrict your chest. Follow the clinic's instructions about inhalers, meals, smoking, and vigorous activity before testing. Sit upright, seal your lips around the mouthpiece, and follow each breathing instruction closely. You may need several attempts so the team can check that the results are consistent. Tell the tester if you feel dizzy, have chest pain, or cannot continue.

Ask for medical advice if breathlessness, wheezing, or a cough is persistent or limits ordinary activity. Seek urgent care for severe breathing difficulty, blue or grey lips, confusion, fainting, or chest pain. If symptoms become suddenly worse during testing, stop and tell the clinician immediately.

Ask what the test is looking for, whether any inhaler should be withheld, how the result compares with your previous reading, and whether repeat testing or another assessment is needed.