title: Repeated measures of FEV1 over six to twelve months: what change is abnormal?
abstract: Monitoring change in FEV1 (deltaFEV1) is useful for assessing adverse respiratory effects in an individual, but high variability impedes reliable recognition of accelerated decline. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) recommends a > or =15% year-to-year FEV1 decline for clinical significance. To evaluate the applicability of this criterion in health monitoring programs, we examined the mean, lower 5th percentile, and lower 5% cutoff value of deltaFEV1 determined from 2 tests at 6- and 12-month intervals using data obtained with ATS-recommended equipment and procedures in 389 white male workers, each with 3 to 11 spirometry tests over 5 years. Results indicate that when healthy working males perform spirometry according to ATS standards, a yearly decline in FEV1 greater than 8% or 330 mL should not be considered normal, whereas the 15% ATS criterion could be appropriate in clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Mei-Lin
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Edward L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Petsonk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003032:Coal Mining; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012016:Reference Values; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013147:Spirometry / Q000592:standards*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D016210:Methacholine Chloride