title: [Could the alveolo-arterial oxygen gradient be used in early diagnosis of chronic obstructive lung diseases (COLD)? (author's transl)].
abstract: During the epidemiological study of chronic respiratory affections amongst a population of 196 building workers over a period of 4 years, the alveolo-arterial oxygen gradient, calculated from PaO2 and PaCO2, was worked out on 55 people. At the first examination, neither the clinical symptoms nor the frequence of functional alterations singled out the group with a high A-aO2 gradient (greater than or equal to 15 torrs). At the second examination, 4 years later, these people showed a more important drop of FEV1.0/VC and symptomatological aggravation than those with a normal A-aO2 gradient. In spite of its lack of precision and the small sample on which the observations have been carried out, the high A-aO2 gradient seems to predict a clinical and functional worsening.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
vernacular_title: La mesure du gradient alvéolo-artériel d'oxygène peut-elle être proposée pour le dépistage des bronchopneumopathies chroniques obstructives (BPCO) débutantes?