Pulmonary Function Tests and Their Reversibility in Smokers

摘要

Background: Smoking is known as the major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) where most of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) especially those indicating the diameter of airways are reduced. In this study, PFTs of smokers were compared with those of nonsmokers, and the effect of bronchodilator inhaler (salbutamol) on PFTs of smokers was also examined. Methods: Pulmonary function tests were measured in 97 male smokers and compared with 95 male nonsmokers. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximal expiratory flow at 75%, 50%, and 25% of the FVC (MEF75, MEF50, and MEF25 respectively) were measured. In addition, pulmonary function tests of 33 male smokers before and 10 minutes after administration of 200 ?g salbutamol inhaler were measured. Results: Most values of PFTs in smokers were significantly lower than those of non-smokers (p