Afshan Mehbob Khan, Sumera Mustafa Abbasi, Fareena Khalil, Darakhshan M Saleem, Moona Mehboob Khan, Shafaque Mehboob.
Spirometric Evaluation of Asthmatic Children and Its Association with Biophysical Parameters: A Case Control Study.
Ann Jinnah Sindh Med Uni Jan ;3(1):14-7.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to perform pulmonary function test in asthmatic children and to associate the results with biophysical parameters, and to compare these findings with those of normal healthy controls. Methodology: A total number of 88 subjects (aged 6-14 years) of both genders were included. The study was carried out from October 2014 to April 2015. Cases were diagnosed to be asthmatic patients according to GINA guideline. Healthy non-asthmatics were recruited from a local school. A written and verbal consent was taken from the subject’s guardians after explaining the study. The subjects’ pulmonary function test included forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1st second (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC ratio. Biophysical parameters were age, gender, and BMI. Spirometry was done by vitalograph. Results: Total 88 subjects were divided into two equal groups, which were matched for age and sex. Comparison of biophysical parameters showed lower values of BMI in cases than controls (p< 0.001). We did spirometry in both groups. Lower values of FVC, FEV1 and FVC/FEV1 were observed in asthmatic group (p <0.001). We also found strong association of BMI with asthmatic state (OR = 0.961, P< 0.001). Double chances of asthma in males than females (OR =2.141) and decreased chances of asthma with increasing age (OR=0.848) but both these findings were statistically insignificant (p >0.05). Conclusion: Study concludes that FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC were significantly lower in asthmatic children than in healthy controls and BMI is strongly correlated with asthmatic state. Furthermore, spirometry should be considered as a routine assessment of children with bronchial asthma. Key words: asthma, spirometry, asthmatic children, biophysical parameters

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