BACKGROUND Little information is available on the possible association between hourly short-term air pollution and peak expiratory flow (PEF) in asthmatic children. METHODS PEF was measured twice daily, from October through December, 2000, in 17 children aged 8 to 15 years hospitalized with severe asthma. A total of 1198 PEF measurements were made at 7 a.m. and 1175 at 7 p.m. Measurements wer...

The mini Wright peak flow meter is a useful, portable instrument for field studies but being sensitive to air density will under-read at altitude. True peak expiratory flow will increase at altitude, however, because of the decreased air density, given that dynamic resistance is unchanged. The effect of simulated altitude on peak expiratory flow (PEF) was determined in six subjects with both th...

Vital capacity (VC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)), peak expiratory flow (PEF), mean forced expiratory flow (FEV(25-75)), and maximum voluntary volume (MVV) were measured in 36 girls and 36 boys with hearing loss and compared with the same number of normal healthy children, all subjects were aged 10-16 years. They participated in an exercise test to calculate VO(2 max) in order to de...

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 a...

The efficacy and safety of budesonide/formoterol in a single inhaler compared with placebo, budesonide and formoterol were evaluated in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a 12-month, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study in 812 adults (mean age 64 yrs, mean forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 36% predicted nor...

[Purpose] The present study examined the effects of expiratory muscle training on elderly day care service users, who had been classified into Care Grades 1 and 2 based on Japan's long-term care insurance system. [Subjects and Methods] Intervention was provided for 29 Care Grade 1 or 2 day care service users. During intervention, expiratory muscle training was performed by slowly expiring using...

To better characterize airway hyperresponsiveness reported in cardiac patients questionnaire-recorded symptoms, bronchial responsiveness to methacholine (Mch) and to ultrasonically nebulized distilled water (UNDW), diurnal oscillations of peak expiratory flow (PEF) rate were evaluated in 32 patients with moderate mitral stenosis. Twenty patients were responsive to Mch (defined as provocative do...

In a multicentre parallel group study we studied 176 adult patients (53% men) with severe acute asthma (peak expiratory flow (PEF), 15-50% of predicted values). The effect of two doses of inhaled salbutamol (0.15 mg.kg-1 x 2; 30 min apart) (n = 87) was compared with that of one dose of salbutamol given intravenously (5 micrograms.kg-1) (n = 89). There was a significantly larger increase in peak...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of ageing on variability of airflow obstruction and on the specific pattern of nocturnal exacerbations ("morning dipping" of peak expiratory flow (PEF)) in asthma. Two groups of stable asthmatics (Group A: 23 patients, aged 14-47 yrs; Group B: 20 patients, aged 53-74 yrs), that were similar for duration of disease, degree of obstruction and respons...

BACKGROUND Serial peak expiratory flow (PEF) records have been recommended as a first-line investigation in workers suspected as having occupational asthma (OA). AIMS To determine which PEF variability index best differentiates workers with OA from non-occupational asthmatics and unaffected irritant-exposed workers. METHODS PEF was measured at least four times daily for at least 3 weeks in ...