Factors affecting spirometry reference range in growing children

OBJECTIVES: To find out the association of weight, height and age with spirometry variables and to generate a regression equation by taking weight as an independent variable beside age and height among children and adolescents of Karachi. METHODS: A modified form of ISSAC questionnaire was used. The spirometry variables recorded were Forced vital capacity (FVC), Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)), FEV(1)/FVC, Peak expiratory flow rate (PEF), Forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% expired volume (FEF(25-75)). A person’s correlation coefficient among boys and girls were calculated for all spirometry variable considering age, height and weight as independent variables. The linear regression models were calculated. RESULTS: The results reported a linear correlation of lung function variables with all three independent variables (i.e. p-value = 0.000), in which age and height manifested a strong positive correlation while weight reported a moderately significant correlation. All spirometry variables such as FVC, FEV(1), PEF and FEF(25-75) reported a significant coefficient of dependency and coefficient of correlation individually with age, height and weight. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that beside age, height and weight both also have significant correlation with lung volumes so these should be taken into account when using spirometry as a diagnostic test.