In stage 3, RfL at exercise was higher in the subgroup with moderate-severe shrinkage compared to patients with minor signs of shrinkage, but their Rl did not differ significantly. Although gas exchange disturbances were less prominent than mechanical abbera-tions, arterial blood gases are essential for the overall picture of lung function, and studies at exercise make an important complement to resting data, which often fail to predict dysfunction at exercise. In the present study, exercise unmasked hypoxia in 12 patients with normal Pa02 sitting at rest.
Our set of exercise physiologic examinations gives information not only about working capacity and heart function, but in addition, detailed information about breathing frequency, ventilation, lung mechanics, and gas exchange. It helps in our understanding of the pathophysiologic events and also forms a solid basis for our management of the sarcoid patient. Cheap Diskus Advair
In conclusion, mechanics at maximal exercise give as much information as elaborate tests at rest. Lung mechanics during spontaneous breathing at rest do not, however, provide optimal information.