Pulmonary testing helps with diagnosing lung ailments, if people receive them

SELLERSVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A nagging cough or congestion might not mean much to most of us.

But it can be serious for those with lung conditions.

Exercise testing can help specialists find out what's going on, however, too few patients receive them.

Years ago, Debbie Schwartz was told she had pneumonia.

But tests showed something else.

"I have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which is also known as interstitial lung disease," she explains.

Scarring develops around the air sacs where oxygen goes into the blood.

"It limits the amount of oxygen that I can take in without supplemental oxygen," she says.

Pulmonary rehab helps Debbie learn how to manage everyday activities like exercise.

"It's all cardio; treadmill, the bike, upper body exercise," says Debbie.

But twice a year, Debbie also undergoes pulmonary function testing - exercise tests with several purposes.

"It can make a diagnosis, but it can also really tell us what is impairing people's lung function," says Dr. Andrew Gangemi, a Temple Health pulmonologist and critical care specialist.

"We can also use it to track symptoms when they get started on medications, and see if there's an improvement," he adds.

Dr. Gangemi says spirometry is probably the most-used test, can be done in a doctor's office, and takes a few minutes to do.

"It gives us a better sense of what's driving someone's symptoms," he says, adding, "It kind of can help guide me to say is one treatment better?"

Dr Gangemi says another test, the "body box," is helpful for interstitial fibrosis, Debbie's ailment.

"It essentially measures how much volume or air is in someone's lungs," he notes.

There's also a six-minute walk test to look at how well the lungs take in oxygen.

Other tests look beyond the lungs.

"We can actually get them on a bike and look real time to see what their breathing looks like, how their heart compensates for exercises," he says.

Debbie says pulmonary rehab and function testing help her know how much she can push herself, especially as she deals with lung cancer, too.

"I went away to Maine with some friends," she says proudly, and that her trip included going to the top of a mountain.

Despite the oxygen, she didn't stop.

"We went to the botanical garden, and it was all hilly and I was up and down the hills," she says.

"I've been able to do things I never thought I could do," she says, crediting the testing and rehab for her confidence.

The benefits aren't just physical.

"I felt more comfortable going out and doing things. And then the other part of it was that it improved my mood," Debbie notes.

Dr. Gangemi says pulmonary testing is vastly underused - only 15% of those eligible for it get it.

But he feels it is invaluable for accurately diagnosing and treating lung conditions.

"I have a lot of patients who have been told by someone that they have asthma, they have COPD, but how was it diagnosed? Oftentimes, it's just they were told they were short of breath," he says.

"People get labeled with a certain diagnosis, and it's the wrong diagnosis also."