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Spirometry reference values for healthy elderly blacks. The Cardiovascular Health Study Research Group.

TitleSpirometry reference values for healthy elderly blacks. The Cardiovascular Health Study Research Group.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1996
AuthorsEnright, PL, Arnold, A, Manolio, TA, Kuller, LH
JournalChest
Volume110
Issue6
Pagination1416-24
Date Published1996 Dec
ISSN0012-3692
KeywordsAfrican Continental Ancestry Group, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, European Continental Ancestry Group, Female, Forced Expiratory Volume, Humans, Male, Reference Values, Spirometry, United States, Vital Capacity
Abstract<p>Pulmonary function was assessed by spirometry in 497 black and 2,980 white ambulatory elderly male and female participants of the Cardiovascular Health Study. The quality assurance program prompted technicians to exceed American Thoracic Society recommendations for spirometry. A "healthy" subgroup of 235 black and 1,227 white participants age 65 years and older was identified by excluding current and former smoker, and those with self-reported asthma or emphysema, congestive heart failure, and poor-quality results of spirometry tests, since those factors were associated with a lower FEV1. Reference equations and normal ranges for elderly blacks for measurements of FEV1, FVC, and the FEV1/FVC ratio were then determined from the healthy group. These elderly blacks had an FVC about 6% lower than elderly whites, even after correcting for standing height, sitting height (trunk length), and age. The popular use of spirometry reference values from studies of middle-aged white subjects by applying a 12% race correction factor for black patients appears to overestimate predicted values.</p>
Alternate JournalChest
PubMed ID8989054
Grant ListN01-87079 / / PHS HHS / United States
N01-87086 / / PHS HHS / United States