Pulmonary function tests in Egyptian schoolchildren in rural and urban areas

摘要

Background: Previous studies have shown a negative association between urban environments and pulmonary function.Objectives: This longitudinal study examined the effect of an urban environment on pulmonary function tests of childrenby comparing children from an urban and a rural area in Egypt. The effect of other factors on pulmonary function,including obesity, breastfeeding and parental atopy, was also examined.Methods: Children aged 7?12 years from rural Shibin El-Kom and urban Cairo were enrolled in the study. Forced expiratoryvolume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory rate and peak expiratory flow rate(PEFR) were measured 5 times over a period of 2 years, at 6-monthly intervals. Factorial repeated measures analysis ofvariance was used to evaluate the differences in the rate of change in FEV1 predicted%, FVC predicted% and PEFR betweenthe children in Cairo and Shibin El-Kom. Generalized linear mixed models were used to analyse factors associated withpulmonary function test results.Results: Generalized linear regression showed that living in Cairo decreased log(FVC), log(FEV1) and log(PEFR). Significantdifferences were found in the changes occurring between the 2 locations in the last 3 visits; children in Cairo showeda smaller increase in pulmonary function.Conclusions: Differences in pulmonary function in the 2 locations increased significantly with time, indicating a negativeeffect on lung function of living in urban Cairo. The findings could be used to help in the development of policiesin Egypt and other developing countries to improve respiratory health, including promoting breastfeeding and reducingoutdoor air pollution.