How is a breathing pattern disorder (BPD) diagnosed?
Apart from the history and habits described above, the right clinical examination can be very revealing. • The Breath Pause – Patients with a breath pause of less than 30 seconds may be suggestive of BPD • Observation – Upper ribcage breathing and poor diaphragmatic use may be suggestive of BPD • Breathing Rate – Optimum breathing is about 6 cycles per minute, an average patient breathes about 12 cycles per minute. A BR of more than 15 per minute may be suggestive of BPD • Nijmegen Questionnaire – This validated questionnaire can be suggestive of BPD if the patient scores highly • Capnography – This specialised piece of equipment measures CO2 levels and breathing rate and is the most scientific method of diagnosing BPD.