At WiseGEEK, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.
What is Forced Vital Capacity?
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Forced vital Capacity (FVC) is a measure of the amount of air someone can forcibly expel out of the lungs after taking a breath to fill the lungs as much as possible. A value in liters of air is typically used to express FVC. This measure is an important indicator of lung health. In people like conditions with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and asthma, forced vital capacity is usually lower than expected for people of a similar gender, height, fitness level, and weight.
During lung function testing, known as spirometry, FVC is one of the things that will be measured. The patient is asked to take a deep breath to fill the lungs as much as possible. This breath does not need to be fast or forceful. Once the lungs are full, the patient blows out as hard and as fast as possible into a device capable of measuring the amount of air that the patient expels.
Forced vital capacity is plotted on a graph that typically shows a spike and a long downward tail. The spike represents the initial burst of air released from the lungs. As the patient's lungs deflate, less air is emitted, and the amount of air released over time falls as a result. This creates the distinctive tail seen on a FVC graph.
This test is usually repeated several times to develop an average. Patients may have trouble adjusting to the equipment and this can result in a skewed initial value. As patients get accustomed to the equipment and the process, the values will be more accurate. Averaging allows the clinician to even out the score across several measures to come up with a meaningful value.
Athletes usually have a higher forced vital capacity because their lungs are more developed, especially if they have been playing sports and working out for a long time. People like swimmers, runners, and bikers can have significantly better lung health than other individuals. Larger people also tend to have higher values because their lungs are bigger. Charts are available to compare a patient's results to people with a similar profile to determine whether they fall within normal values. If the values of a forced vital capacity test are unusually low, it is an indicator that something is wrong with the patient's lungs. Additional testing may be needed to learn more about what is happening inside the patient's body and why.
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
Learn more...AS FEATURED ON:
AS FEATURED ON:
-
![Forced vital capacity is one of measurements taken during lung function testing known as spirometry.]()
By: srdjan111Forced vital capacity is one of measurements taken during lung function testing known as spirometry. -
![Swimmers and other athletes typically have greater forced vital capacity because they have more developed lungs than others.]()
By: MaridavSwimmers and other athletes typically have greater forced vital capacity because they have more developed lungs than others. -
![In people like conditions with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), forced vital capacity is usually lower than expected.]()
By: joshyaIn people like conditions with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), forced vital capacity is usually lower than expected. -
![Experienced runners will likely have better lung health than others because of their higher forced vital capacity.]()
By: puhhhaExperienced runners will likely have better lung health than others because of their higher forced vital capacity.
Discussion Comments
My father always used to say that an asthma sufferer will either have the worst forced vital capacity in the group, or the best.
He taught fitness techniques to athletes so he had a lot of experience with this kind of thing. And he found that many of the breathing exercises that asthma sufferers do to make their lives easier, can be useful for athletes or ordinary people.
If someone with asthma does them regularly, they might even end up with a better capacity than most people. It's good to know even that kind of disadvantage can be overcome.
They did this test on my nephew when he was small, because he had a bit of asthma. We still aren't sure if it might not have been a little bit of a dust allergy, rather than true asthma.
It took forever to explain to him how to do the test, but once we started doing it like it was a competition, he got into the swing of things and began to blow as hard as he could.
Unfortunately, his little lungs didn't have the capacity they should, but these days they are much better.
Still, even with his diminished capacity, he still somehow managed to beat his auntie every time!
Post your comments