Reference values of Forced Expiratory Volumes and pulmonary flows in 3–6 year children: a cross-sectional study

The aims of this study were to verify the feasibility of respiratory function tests and to assess their validity in the diagnosis of respiratory disorders in young children. We performed spirometry and collected information on health and parents' lifestyle on a sample of 960 children aged 3-6....

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Published in:Respiratory research Vol. 8; no. 1; p. 14
Main Authors: Piccioni, Pavilio, Borraccino, Alberto, Forneris, Maria Pia, Migliore, Enrica, Carena, Carlo, Bignamini, Elisabetta, Fassio, Stefania, Cordola, Giorgio, Arossa, Walter, Bugiani, Massimiliano
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 22.02.2007
BioMed Central
BMC
Subjects:
Child
Child, Preschool
Children
Computer Simulation
Cross-Sectional Studies
Feasibility Studies
Female
Forced Expiratory Flow Rates - physiology
Forced Expiratory Volume - physiology
Humans
Italy - epidemiology
Male
Models, Biological
Pulmonary function tests
Reference Values
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity
Spirometry - standards
Spirometry - statistics & numerical data
Italy
ISSN:1465-993X, 1465-9921, 1465-993X
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The aims of this study were to verify the feasibility of respiratory function tests and to assess their validity in the diagnosis of respiratory disorders in young children. We performed spirometry and collected information on health and parents' lifestyle on a sample of 960 children aged 3-6. The cooperation rate was 95.3%. Among the valid tests, 3 or more acceptable curves were present in 93% of cases. The variability was 5% within subjects in 90.8% of cases in all the parameters. We propose regression equations for FVC (Forced Vital Capacity), FEV1, FEV0.5, FEV0.75 (Forced Expiratory Volume in one second, in half a second and in 3/4 of a second), and for Maximum Expiratory Flows at different lung volume levels (MEF75, 50, 25). All parameters are consistent with the main reference values reported in literature. The discriminating ability of respiratory parameters versus symptoms always shows a high specificity (>95%) and a low sensitivity (<20%) with the highest OR (10.55; CI 95% 4.42-25.19) for MEF75. The ability of FEV0.75 to predict FEV1 was higher than that of FEV0.50: FEV0.75 predicts FEV1 with a determination coefficient of 0.95. Our study confirms the feasibility of spirometry in young children; however some of the current standards are not well suited to this age group. Moreover, in this restricted age group the various reference values have similar behaviour.
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ISSN:1465-993X
1465-9921
1465-993X
DOI:10.1186/1465-9921-8-14