ORIGINAL ARTICLR

CORRELATION BETWEEN FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN THE FIRST SECOND (FEV1) AND DIFFUSION CAPACITY OF THE LUNG FOR CARBON MONOXIDE (DLCO) IN CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

By
Tarek Safwat, Khaled Wagih, Dina Fathy
Chest department, Ain Shams University, Egypt

Correspondence to: Tarek Safwat, Email: tasafwat@yahoo.com

Background: Reduced DLCO has been associated with a rapid decline in spirometric indices in smokers and is shown to be a predictor of the degree of oxygen desaturation during exercise. The FEV1 is essential for the diagnosis and quantification of the respiratory impairment resulting from COPD. However, the association between DLCO and COPD severity as assessed by spirometry has not been investigated so far.

Objectives: The aim of this work is to correlate between (FEV1) and (DLCO) in moderate and severe stages of COPD according to GOLD, 2007.

Design: Randomized, double blind, prospective study.
Methods: This study included 30 COPD patients in moderate and severe stages according to GOLD, 2007. Diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide single breath method, spirometry, arterial blood gas, dyspnea scale according to modified medical research council (MMRC) and six minute walking test were done.

Results: All studied cases were males, with average age 61.5, and BMI within normal range. Sixty percent of the studied cases were in severe stag, 50% of the studied cases had moderate dyspnea according to MMRC. Mean for DLCO was 54.3±24 mm CO/min/mmHg and that of FEV1 was 49.9±15 with significant direct relation was observed between FEV1 % predicted and DLCO% predicted (r=0.49 p<0.05 ).

Conclusion: FEV1 % predicted correlates positively with DLCO % predicted in patients with COPD.

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