[Effort-independent pulmonary function tests].

Many pulmonary function tests require forced expiration, and the precision of the tests depends on the effort of the subjects. In elderly people, the reproducibility of test results may be inadequate because of insufficiency of the subjects' effort, and the diagnosis of COPD, which is frequently observed in elderly people, is often difficult. To improve the accuracy of the diagnosis, pulmonary function tests that do not require effort are needed. In this study, effortless pulmonary function tests (examinations of the cardiogenic oscillation, negative expiratory pressure, exhaled temperature, and exhaled breath condensate), the application of which to various respiratory disorders (i.e., sleep apnea syndrome, COPD, bronchial asthma) is attempted, are presented.