Background The aim of this study was to estimate the occupational burden of airflow limitation, chronic airflow limitation, COPD, and emphysema. Materials and methods Subjects aged 50-64 years (n=1,050) were investigated with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). Airflow limitation was defined as FEV1/FVC <0.7 before bronchodilation. Chronic airflow limitatio...

BACKGROUND Recent studies suggested that the bronchodilator response depends on airway obstruction. The forced oscillation technique (FOT) may help improve our understanding of the changes in respiratory mechanics that occur after the application of a bronchodilator. OBJECTIVES We aimed to (1) assess the response to salbutamol and to compare the impedance changes in healthy individuals and CO...

Because of the minimal demand for cooperation by the subject, the forced oscillation technique is increasingly employed in routine lung function testing. However, comprehensive and device-independent values of respiratory impedance at baseline and after bronchodilation have not been established for healthy adults. The aim of this multicentre study was to collect impedance data from 4 to 26 Hz i...

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) diagnostic criteria for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) use a fixed threshold of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio (<0.70) in post-bronchodilation spirometry to indicate disease, which has been shown to underestimate and overestimate disease prevalence in younger and older adult...

The fractional exhaled nitric oxide measured at an expiratory flow of 50mL/s (FENO50) is a marker of airway inflammation, and high levels are associated with greater response to steroid treatment. In asthma, FENO50 increases with bronchodilation and decreases with bronchoconstriction, the latter potentially causing an underestimate of the degree of airway inflammation when asthma worsens. It is...

Bronchodilators are the most important drugs used for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In particular, these therapeutic agents are mostly long-acting compounds utilized via inhalation, and include LAMA (long-acting muscarinic receptor antagonists) and LABA (long-acting β2-adrenoceptor agonists). Because LAMA and LABA induce bronchodilation by distinct mechanisms of...

Transit time analysis applied to spirograms truncated with respect to volume, not time, could be informative in population surveys. The present paper asks the questions: How does averaging several forced expirations affect the within subject variability at different levels of truncation? If only one spirogram is analysed, how should it be chosen? Are the results likely to be influenced by prior...

Bronchial histamine provocation tests were performed in nine patients with nonallergic asthma on four consecutive days 45 minutes after inhalation of placebo or ipratropium bromide in a dose-response manner (40 micrograms, 200 micrograms, and 800 micrograms). The drugs were administered double-blind, one dose on each day. This procedure was repeated identically after three to nine months to inv...