The race for healthy lungs starts with spirometry testing

Abstract

The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS: ACCP, ALAT, APSR, ATS, ERS, PATS and the Union) have been working hard across the world to encourage their members to hold and support spirometry testing and training events before and on World Spirometry Day (June 27, 2012; www.wsd2012.org) as well as beyond in the run up to the Olympics. This unprecedented global effort is one of the ways that FIRS can achieve one of its aims: to promote advocacy in matters of global respiratory health. The concept behind this year's activities is to use the Olympics as an inspiration to get people interested in spirometry testing and to educate them about their lung health and its importance for a healthy and active life. It also aims to ensure that people with lung disease feel that they can keep moving and keep active to ensure that they have fulfilled lives with optimal lung health. Physical activity needs to be supported in the general population as well as via rehabilitation and regular training programmes for people with lung conditions. Over a 25-year period, lung function decline has been shown to be inversely related to levels of physical activity [1] and, while several studies have shown that increased levels of physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, cystic fibrosis and restrictive lung disease result in decreased morbidity of each disease, more research is needed …