Restrictive and Obstructive
The results (in particular FEV1/FVC and FRC) can be used to distinguish between restrictive and obstructive pulmonary diseases:
| Type | Examples | Description | FEV1/FVC |
| restrictive diseases | pulmonary fibrosis, Infant Respiratory Distress Syndrome, weak respiratory muscles, pneumothorax | volumes are decreased | often in a normal range (0.8 - 1.0) |
| obstructive diseases | asthma or COPD | volumes are essentially normal but flow rates are impeded | often low (Asthma can reduce the ratio to 0.6, Emphysema can reduce the ratio to 0.78 - 0.45) |
Read more about this topic: Lung Volumes
Famous quotes containing the word restrictive:
“The ground for taking ignorance to be restrictive of freedom is that it causes people to make choices which they would not have made if they had seen what the realization of their choices involved.”
—A.J. (Alfred Jules)