Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1995 Feb;50(2):121–126. doi: 10.1136/thx.50.2.121

Relation between respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function and peak flow variability in adults.

H M Boezen 1, J P Schouten 1, D S Postma 1, B Rijcken 1
PMCID: PMC473892  PMID: 7701448

Abstract

BACKGROUND--A study was carried out to determine whether subjects with respiratory symptoms are more likely to have impaired lung function or increased airway lability, and to quantify these relationships in a population of adults. METHODS--Data were collected from 511 participants (aged 20-70 years) from the Dutch part of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS). The symptoms analysed were: wheeze, dyspnoea > or = grade 3, nocturnal dyspnoea, cough and phlegm, and history of allergy. Lung function was measured by peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). PEF variability was used as an index for bronchial lability. RESULTS--Both FEV1 and PEF were decreased with increasing numbers of symptoms. Subjects with one symptom had an increased risk of having an FEV1 value of < 70% (OR = 4.2) and this risk increased with an increasing number of symptoms. Subjects with three or more symptoms had an increased risk of having a PEF value of < 70%, a diurnal variation in PEF of > 10% (both OR = 4.4), and an increased risk of high between day variation (OR = 6.6). CONCLUSIONS--Subject-reported symptoms are related to impaired lung function and to increased variability of peak flow.

Full text

PDF
121

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Banerjee D. K., Lee G. S., Malik S. K., Daly S. Underdiagnosis of asthma in the elderly. Br J Dis Chest. 1987 Jan;81(1):23–29. doi: 10.1016/0007-0971(87)90104-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Boezen H. M., Schouten J. P., Postma D. S., Rijcken B. Distribution of peak expiratory flow variability by age, gender and smoking habits in a random population sample aged 20-70 yrs. Eur Respir J. 1994 Oct;7(10):1814–1820. doi: 10.1183/09031936.94.07101814. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brand P. L., Postma D. S., Kerstjens H. A., Koëter G. H. Relationship of airway hyperresponsiveness to respiratory symptoms and diurnal peak flow variation in patients with obstructive lung disease. The Dutch CNSLD Study Group. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1991 May;143(5 Pt 1):916–921. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/143.5_Pt_1.916. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Burney P. G., Luczynska C., Chinn S., Jarvis D. The European Community Respiratory Health Survey. Eur Respir J. 1994 May;7(5):954–960. doi: 10.1183/09031936.94.07050954. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Clough J. B., Williams J. D., Holgate S. T. Effect of atopy on the natural history of symptoms, peak expiratory flow, and bronchial responsiveness in 7- and 8-year-old children with cough and wheeze. A 12-month longitudinal study [published errarum appears in Am Rev Respir Dis 1992 Aug;146(2):540]. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1991 Apr;143(4 Pt 1):755–760. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/143.4_Pt_1.755. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cook N. R., Evans D. A., Scherr P. A., Speizer F. E., Taylor J. O., Hennekens C. H. Peak expiratory flow rate and 5-year mortality in an elderly population. Am J Epidemiol. 1991 Apr 15;133(8):784–794. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115957. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dow L., Coggon D., Osmond C., Holgate S. T. A population survey of respiratory symptoms in the elderly. Eur Respir J. 1991 Mar;4(3):267–272. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dow L., Coggon D., Osmond C., Holgate S. T. A population survey of respiratory symptoms in the elderly. Eur Respir J. 1991 Mar;4(3):267–272. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hargreave F. E., Ryan G., Thomson N. C., O'Byrne P. M., Latimer K., Juniper E. F., Dolovich J. Bronchial responsiveness to histamine or methacholine in asthma: measurement and clinical significance. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1981 Nov;68(5):347–355. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(81)90132-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Higgins B. G., Britton J. R., Chinn S., Cooper S., Burney P. G., Tattersfield A. E. Comparison of bronchial reactivity and peak expiratory flow variability measurements for epidemiologic studies. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992 Mar;145(3):588–593. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/145.3.588. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jaakkola M. S., Jaakkola J. J., Ernst P., Becklake M. R. Respiratory symptoms in young adults should not be overlooked. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1993 Feb;147(2):359–366. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/147.2.359. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Krzyzanowski M., Camilli A. E., Lebowitz M. D. Relationships between pulmonary function and changes in chronic respiratory symptoms. Comparison of Tucson and Cracow longitudinal studies. Chest. 1990 Jul;98(1):62–70. doi: 10.1378/chest.98.1.62. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Miller M. R., Pincock A. C. Predicted values: how should we use them? Thorax. 1988 Apr;43(4):265–267. doi: 10.1136/thx.43.4.265. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Milne J. S. Longitudinal respiratory studies in older people. Thorax. 1978 Oct;33(5):547–554. doi: 10.1136/thx.33.5.547. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Neukirch F., Liard R., Segala C., Korobaeff M., Henry C., Cooreman J. Peak expiratory flow variability and bronchial responsiveness to methacholine. An epidemiologic study in 117 workers. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992 Jul;146(1):71–75. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/146.1.71. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Peat J. K., Toelle B. G., Salome C. M., Woolcock A. J. Predictive nature of bronchial responsiveness and respiratory symptoms in a one year cohort study of Sydney schoolchildren. Eur Respir J. 1993 May;6(5):662–669. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Quackenboss J. J., Lebowitz M. D., Krzyzanowski M. The normal range of diurnal changes in peak expiratory flow rates. Relationship to symptoms and respiratory disease. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1991 Feb;143(2):323–330. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/143.2.323. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rijcken B., Schouten J. P., Weiss S. T., Speizer F. E., van der Lende R. The relationship of nonspecific bronchial responsiveness to respiratory symptoms in a random population sample. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1987 Jul;136(1):62–68. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/136.1.62. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sherman C. B., Xu X., Speizer F. E., Ferris B. G., Jr, Weiss S. T., Dockery D. W. Longitudinal lung function decline in subjects with respiratory symptoms. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992 Oct;146(4):855–859. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/146.4.855. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES