Editing Spirometry (section)

===Limitations===
Clinically useful results are highly dependent on patient cooperation and effort and must be repeated for a minimum of three times to ensure [[reproducibility]] with a general limit of ten attempts. Given variable rates of effort, the results can only be underestimated given an effort output greater than 100% is not possible.{{Citation needed|reason=Second sentence is making a medical determination so it should be cited to ensure correctness of the underestimated statement. It was also reworded to reduce confusion, but this tag should at minimum serve to notify reader of a potential discrepancy.|date=July 2023}}

Due to the need for patient cooperation and an ability to understand and follow instructions, spirometry can typically only be done in cooperative children when they at least 5 years old<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-417044-5.00054-8 |chapter=Outcome Measures in Neuromuscular Diseases |title=Neuromuscular Disorders of Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence |date=2015 |last1=Montes |first1=Jacqueline |last2=Kaufmann |first2=Petra |pages=1078–1089 |isbn=978-0-12-417044-5 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pruthi, M.D. |first=Sandhya |date=January 6, 2022 |title=Asthma: Steps in testing and diagnosis |url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/in-depth/asthma/art-20045198 |access-date=July 14, 2023 |website=[[Mayo Clinic]]}}</ref> or adults without physical or mental impairment preventing effective diagnostic results. In addition, [[General anesthesia]] and various forms of sedation are not compatible with the testing process.

Another limitation is that persons with intermittent or mild asthma can present normal spirometry values between acute exacerbation, reducing spirometry's effectiveness as a diagnostic tool in these circumstances.{{Citation needed|reason=this is making a medical determination so it should be cited to ensure correctness. It was also reworded to reduce confusion, but this tag should at minimum serve to notify reader of a potential discrepancy.|date=July 2023}}