title: Tracking of lung function in healthy children and adolescents.
abstract: Two hundred twenty-six healthy school children, with a mean age of 8.8 years; 62 girls mean age 8.8, 48 boys mean age 12.6 and 51 girls mean age 12.6 years at the start, were enrolled in a longitudinal study of lung function and tested annually for 5 years. All were free of respiratory symptoms, and none smoked more than five cigarettes per week during the 5 years. Static and dynamic lung volumes (other than residual volume), maximum expiratory and inspiratory flows, and maximum mouth pressures "track," that is, individuals remain at a constant deviation from the sample mean over time. The data indicate that these measurements of lung function in healthy individuals grow in constant proportion relative to other healthy children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hibbert
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lanigan
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Landau
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Phelan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008449:Maximal Expiratory Flow-Volume Curves; D008954:Models, Biological; D012016:Reference Values; D014109:Total Lung Capacity; D014797:Vital Capacity