PFT - Oxygen Exchange

Over the past several months have had episodes where I had difficulty (labored) breathing which would last a few seconds/minutes primarily during some physical exertion.  Recently went to a pulmonary specialist who listened to my lungs gave me a chest x-ray...everything fine.  He sends me for a Pulmonary Function Test (PFT).  Three areas come back normal, but one reading "oxygen exchange" (is this the same as DLCO) comes back abnormal (= 60%).  He says symptoms of this abnormal reading could be shortness of breath.  My questions:
How bad (low) is 60% and does this sort of thing generally get worse with age (I'm 39)?
Is this a potentially serious condition?
Do the results (3 normal/1 abnormal) point to a particular condition?

My Dr. wants me to get a CT scan of my chest.  Should I have him repeat the test or do something else?  In general, I'm in good health and have never smoked.

Any info. is much appreciated.

[National Jewish]

I haven't heard of the term

[starion]

It sounds like your doc is taking appropriate measures to evaluate your lungs.  "Normal" for PFTs is the range between 80-120% of predicted; 60% is low.  It makes sense to have a high resolution spiral CT scan, so the doctor can determine WHY you have a slightly low oxygen exchange.  He may also order the PFT to be repeated in a few months to see if there is any change.

The DLCO tells us how well our oxygen is getting from our lungs into our bloodstream to be shared with the rest of our bodies.

Aloha,
Starion

[ninagirl]

Thanks Starion,

Just had the DLCO tests rerun at a different lab.  They performed the test three times and my values came back at 111%, 104% and 98% of the expected value.  Looks like a retake was important.  I may have the Dr. look into exercise-induced issues as my symptoms were usually accompanied by some sort of physical activity, although the labored breathing was not consistently experienced with my physical exertion.

Any recomendations as to my next step if you were me?

Thanks for your feedback.

[starion]

If you believe you have exercise-induced asthma or bronchospasm, you can ask for a test to check it, which is supervised by a physician and respiratory therapist in a lab (both my kids have had them this month).  You are challenged on a treadmill (after being giving an EKG), monitored regularly for heart rate, EKG, & regular lung function tests.
It may also be worthwhile considering having a methacholine challenge with a laryngoscopy to see if you have vocal chord dysfunction, which is another common problem that folks experience when exercising.  The vocal chords spasm &  make it difficult to breathe but regular asthma meds don't resolve the problem but other measures like speech therapy and relaxation techniques are VERY effective.  You can read more about these at www.NationalJewish.org, particularly their MedFacts about Vocal Chord Dysfunction and EIB testing.

Best of luck!l
Aloha,
Starion