Figure. Screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using spirometry: clinical summary of a U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.

*The potential benefit of spirometry-based screening for COPD is prevention of 1 or more exacerbations by treating patients found to have previously undetected airflow obstruction. However, even in groups with the greatest prevalence of airflow obstruction, hundreds of patients would need to be screendd with spirometry to defer 1 exacerbation.