Background: Measuring peak expiratory flow rate has been suggested as an important tool in asthma management by all international guidelines.  Objective: Studies on various populations have shown considerable variations in normal values of peak expiratory flow rate. Since reference standards for Iranian children are not available, the present study was performed to establish these standards. Me...

A compact electronic spirometer, the turbine pocket spirometer, which measures the FEV1, forced vital capacity (FVC), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) in a single expiration, was compared with the Vitalograph and the Wright peak flow meter in 99 subjects (FEV1 range 0.40-5.50 litres; FVC 0.58-6.48 l; PEF 40-650 l min-1). The mean differences between the machines were small--0.05 l for FEV1, 0.05 ...

BACKGROUND Quality of life (QOL) is commonly measured in asthma clinical trials by a questionnaire given before and after treatment. A structured asthma QOL daily diary provides more restricted information but on a daily basis. The validity and use of such a QOL diary was examined in a clinical trial in which two asthma treatments were compared. METHODS The effects of low dose inhaled steroid...

The increasing availability of appliances for measuring lung function in infants may allow clinical and epidemiological applications. The aim of the present study was to establish reference values for tidal breathing lung function in awake newborn infants and to investigate potential sources of variability. Tidal flow-volume loops were measured in 803 awake, healthy infants (427 males and 376 f...

The Spirophone is a new, portable transtelephonic spirometer which records the slow and the forced expiratory vital capacity tests. Data can be transmitted via the telephone to a remote receiving centre, where a volume-time curve and the flow-volume curve are displayed on screen in real time. The aim of this study was to compare the newly developed transtelephonic spirometer, with a laboratory ...

background: measuring peak expiratory flow rate has been suggested as an important tool in asthma management by all international guidelines.   objective: studies on various populations have shown considerable variations in normal values of peak expiratory flow rate. since reference standards for iranian children are not available, the present study was performed to establish these standards.  ...

BACKGROUND The objective of this multicentre, randomised, double blind, parallel group study was to compare the efficacy and safety of the addition of salmeterol with that of doubling the dose of fluticasone propionate in asthmatic patients not controlled by a low or intermediate dose of inhaled corticosteroids. METHODS After a four week run in period of treatment with fluticasone propionate ...

Peak expiratory flow (PEF) and plasma concentrations of platelet factor 4 and beta thromboglobulin were measured before and after exercise in nine asthmatic patients and 12 non-asthmatic volunteers. Exercise was preceded by administration in random order of either placebo, salbutamol 200 micrograms, or sodium cromoglycate 2 mg from a pressurised inhaler. In control subjects there were minimal c...

Panel studies have found 1-3% increases in reports of acute respiratory symptoms associated with each 10 microg x m(-3) increase in ambient concentrations of particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 microm (PM10). Statistically significant decrements in population mean peak expiratory flow (PEF) have also been observed but their magnitude is only about 0.1% for the same exposure....