BACKGROUND: The small airways may play an important role in the clinical manifestations of asthma. Forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% (FEF25%-75%) has been proposed as an approximate measure of the caliber of distal airways. Bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) is a feature of asthma. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the possible role of FEF25%-75% as a predictor of BHR in allergic patients with asthma and rhinitis. METHODS: A total of 726 patients (mean +/- SD age, 24.7 +/- 6.3 years) were evaluated. Spirometry and methacholine bronchial challenge were evaluated in all the participants. RESULTS: A difference between forced expiratory volume in 1 second and FEF25%-75% greater than 20 or a ratio between these variables greater than 1.24 discriminates between patients with no response to a mild response to methacholine vs patients with a moderate-to-severe response with high sensitivity (P < .001). CONCLUSION: This study highlights the possible role of FEF25%-75% in predicting BHR in allergic individuals with airway disorders.
BACKGROUND: The small airways may play an important role in the clinical manifestations of asthma. Forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% (FEF25%-75%) has been proposed as an approximate measure of the caliber of distal airways. Bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) is a feature of asthma. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the possible role of FEF25%-75% as a predictor of BHR in allergicpatients with asthma and rhinitis. METHODS: A total of 726 patients (mean +/- SD age, 24.7 +/- 6.3 years) were evaluated. Spirometry and methacholine bronchial challenge were evaluated in all the participants. RESULTS: A difference between forced expiratory volume in 1 second and FEF25%-75% greater than 20 or a ratio between these variables greater than 1.24 discriminates between patients with no response to a mild response to methacholine vs patients with a moderate-to-severe response with high sensitivity (P < .001). CONCLUSION: This study highlights the possible role of FEF25%-75% in predicting BHR in allergic individuals with airway disorders.
Authors: Yixin Shi; Anna S Aledia; Ahramahzd V Tatavoosian; Shruthi Vijayalakshmi; Stanley P Galant; Steven C George Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2011-12-17 Impact factor: 10.793
Authors: Talat Islam; W James Gauderman; Kiros Berhane; Rob McConnell; Ed Avol; John M Peters; Frank D Gilliland Journal: Thorax Date: 2007-05-21 Impact factor: 9.139
Authors: Bruno Sposato; Marco Scalese; Maria Giovanna Migliorini; Maurizio Di Tomassi; Raffaele Scala Journal: Allergy Asthma Immunol Res Date: 2014-02-11 Impact factor: 5.764