Spirometric Pulmonary Function Test in Preschool Children

Dae Hyun Lim; Jeong Hee Kim; Byong Kwan Son; Yeong Ho Rha

doi:10.5124/jkma.2010.53.5.417

J Korean Med Assoc > Volume 53(5); 2010 > Article

Lim, Kim, Son, and Rha: Spirometric Pulmonary Function Test in Preschool Children

Continuing Education Column

Journal of the Korean Medical Association

Journal of the Korean Medical Association 2010; 53(5): 417-423.

Published online: May 31, 2010

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2010.53.5.417

Spirometric Pulmonary Function Test in Preschool Children

Dae Hyun Lim, MD¹, Jeong Hee Kim, MD¹, Byong Kwan Son, MD¹, Yeong Ho Rha, MD²

¹Department of Pediatrics, Inha University College of Medicine, Korea.

²Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Korea.

Corresponding author: Dae Hyun Lim. dhyunlim@inha.ac.kr

Abstract

Children aged 3~5 years old represent the challenge in pulmonary function assessment, since evaluating lung function in preschool age group is important for the appropriate treatment for patient with chronic and recurrent cough and wheeze during this period. The joint American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society task force has produced recommendations for the spirometric lung function test currently used in the preschool age group. The reliable scientific evidence, documented references and reviews by the experts were used as a support. Reference data of spirometry lung function in preschool children were available in several countries including USA, Norway, Czech, Israel, Canada, and Taiwan. Spirometric pulmonary function tests are feasible in 3~ to 5~year~old children. However, the existing data are not sufficient to make definitive recommendations. Recommendations will need to be revised periodically until sufficient evidence has been collected to make definitive guidelines in various situations.

Spirometry; Pulmonary function test; Preschool children

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Table 1

Common problems in the registration of ventilatory (in particular forced expiratory) maneuvers (Adopted from Ref. 15)

^*TLC: total lung capacity

Table 2

Published prediction equations for spirometry indices in preschool children (Adopted from Ref. 13, 23)

^*The authors report that presence of asthmatic symptoms did not influence lung function.

Jeng and colleagues: a, age (month); g, gender (boy=1, girl=0); h, height (cm); w, weight (kg)