Allergy Asthma Respir Dis.  2014 May;2(2):108-113. 10.4168/aard.2014.2.2.108.

The effect of atopy and allergic diseases on pulmonary function of Korean adolescents

• Hwangbo JW
• Kwon JW
• Seo JH
• Kim HY
• Yu JH
• Kim HB
• Kim WK
• Jang GC
• Song DJ
• Shim JY
• Hong SJ
• Lee SY

• KMID: 2261745
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2014.2.2.108

Abstract

PURPOSE
Pulmonary function test (PFT) plays a key role in the diagnosis and management of asthma in adolescents. But, it is not clear whether adolescents with asthma have significantly reduced lung function when compared with adolescents without asthma. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of atopy and allergic diseases on pulmonary function and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in Korean adolescents.
METHODS
A questionnaire survey was conducted on 647 middle school students (male, 264; female, 383) from Seoul city to determine the prevalence of symptoms and diagnosed allergic diseases. We also performed the PFT, methacholine challenge test, skin prick tests and serum total immunoglobulin E. Current atopic dermatitis was diagnosed by doctor's medical examination.
RESULTS
Female showed higher values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) and higher numbers of BHR (PC20 less than 25 mg/dL) compared to male (P<0.01). BHR was more common in atopy group (P<0.01), but PFT was not significant difference between atopy and nonatopy. Mean values for all spirometric parameters for asthmatic adolescents were in the normal range. Adolescents with asthma symptoms had slightly lower FEV1/FVC and forced expiratory flow 25%-75% than that of adolescents with no history of wheeze ever, asthma diagnosis and current asthma, but there was no statistically significance.
CONCLUSION
The majority of adolescents recruited from the general population who reported having asthma symptoms or other allergic diseases had normal lung function. Sex, atopy, and current atopic dermatitis may affect BHR in Korean adolescents.

Keyword

Pulmonary function test; Bronchial hyperresponsiveness; Asthma; Sinusitis

MeSH Terms

Adolescent*
Asthma
Dermatitis, Atopic
Diagnosis
Female
Forced Expiratory Volume
Humans
Immunoglobulin E
Immunoglobulins
Lung
Male
Methacholine Chloride
Prevalence
Reference Values
Respiratory Function Tests
Seoul
Sinusitis
Skin Tests
Vital Capacity
Surveys and Questionnaires
Immunoglobulin E
Immunoglobulins
Methacholine Chloride

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