Outdated Race Adjustment in Lung Tests Harms Black Patients, Experts Warn
A physician reveals that the race-based correction used in spirometry stems from racist assumptions and leads to misdiagnoses for Black patients.
During his medical training, Aaron Baugh learned that spirometry devices incorporate a race-based equation that reduces the normal lung-capacity range for Black patients by roughly 10 to 15 percent compared with white patients. After becoming a specialist, he investigated the origins of this correction and found it rooted in racist scientific theories dating back to slavery. The adjustment is embedded in a test used to diagnose conditions such as asthma, COPD and cystic fibrosis, as well as to assess fitness for jobs, disability benefits and other medical decisions.
Consequently, many Black individuals, including military veterans, receive inaccurate assessments that can affect their health care and livelihoods. The problem is examined in the “Race Equation” podcast series produced by the New England Journal of Medicine, which aims to expose the lingering impact of this biased practice.
Why it matters
Biased lung-function standards can lead to incorrect diagnoses and unequal treatment for Black patients.
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