Pulmonary Function Investigations on 1011 School Children Using a McKesson Vitalor

Abstract

The forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), and the maximum expiratory flow rate (MEFR) were measured in 1011 school children between the ages of 7 and 17 years, using a bellows spirometer of the type McKesson Vitalor. 760 of these children had no signs or histories of disease in the pulmonary tract. This group was considered to be the normal material. The FVC, FEV₁ and MEFR in this group are, when compared to the height of the children, of the same magnitude as in other investigations carried out using a water-sealed spirometer, but slightly lower than in studies performed with a specially modified spirometer with low resistance. The following were found for both sexes together: FVC (ml) = 54.1 × height in cm −5258, FEV¹ (ml/sec) = 46.1 × height in cm −4312, and MEFR (1/min) = 4.1 × height in cm −377. The correlation to the height of the children did not differ for the two sexes, and the exponential dependence was not better than the linear. The remaining children had either a cold, or had previously had diseases of the respiratory tract, but were now symptom-free. These groups were compared to the normal material, and no difference was found.

Key Words:

• Children
• colds
• FEV₁
• FVC
• MEFR
• respiratory disease