title: Respiratory Function in Healthy Taiwanese Infants: Tidal Breathing Analysis, Passive Mechanics, and Tidal Forced Expiration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although infant lung function (ILF) testing is widely practiced in developed Western countries it is not typically performed in Eastern countries, and lung measurements are scarce for Asian infants. Therefore, this study aimed to establish normal reference values for Taiwanese infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Full-term infants without any chronic diseases and major anomalies were enrolled in the Prediction of Allergies in Taiwanese Children (PATCH) cohort study. Detailed medical data, such as body weight and length, birth history, and histories of previous illness and hospitalization were recorded. Lung function measurements such as analysis of tidal breathing, passive respiratory mechanics, and forced tidal expiratory flow-volume curves were obtained through Jaeger Masterscreen BabyBody Paediatrics System. Multiple linear analyses were performed to determine various parameters of the lung function tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ILF test parameters were collected from 126 infants, and 189 tests were performed. The results revealed that the ratio of time to peak expiratory flow to total expiratory time, the ratio of volume to peak expiratory flow to total expiratory volume, and the ratio of inspiratory time to total respiratory time remained relatively constant despite differences in age. However, body length is the strongest independent variable influencing tidal volume, respiratory rate, resistance, compliance, and maximal expiratory flow at functional residual capacity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to our review of relevant literature, this is the first study to establish a reference data of ILF tests in the Asian population. This study provided reference values and regression equations for several variables of lung function measurements in healthy infants aged less than 2 years. With these race-specific reference data, ILF can more precisely and efficiently diagnose respiratory diseases in infants of Chinese ethnicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Prediction of Allergies in Taiwanese Children (PATCH) cohort study, Keelung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shen-Hao
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, Keelung, Taiwan.|Prediction of Allergies in Taiwanese Children (PATCH) cohort study, Keelung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Sui-Ling
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Prediction of Allergies in Taiwanese Children (PATCH) cohort study, Keelung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsung-Chieh
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, Keelung, Taiwan.|Prediction of Allergies in Taiwanese Children (PATCH) cohort study, Keelung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Han
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, Keelung, Taiwan.|Prediction of Allergies in Taiwanese Children (PATCH) cohort study, Keelung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Man-Chin
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Prediction of Allergies in Taiwanese Children (PATCH) cohort study, Keelung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuo-Wei
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.|Prediction of Allergies in Taiwanese Children (PATCH) cohort study, Keelung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jing-Long
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005652:Functional Residual Capacity; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D012119:Respiration; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D013624:Taiwan; D013990:Tidal Volume