PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE IN A SAMPLE OF NORMAL SAUDI MALES AT RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

OBJECTIVE: To find out the normal peak expiratory flow rate for adult Saudi males and to compare our standards with British standards. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in five primary health care centers representing Riyadh city in the period between 15(th) November through December 1993. Six hundred and eighty Saudi men who satisfied stringent criteria of normality were included in the study. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of the subjects’ age and height were 28.4 ± 13 and 167.6 ± 6.4 respectively. Linear regression analysis was performed through step-wise procedure to determine the form of regression of peak expiratory flow on age and height. Regression curves were obtained and it was found that peak expiratory flow rate did not begin to decline until about the age of 25 years; and as height increased the peak expiratory flow rate increased in a linear relationship. CONCLUSION: It was demonstrated that our study group had lower peak expiratory flow rate compared with British people. These findings will serve as a basis for preparing flow rate values for our population.