Abstract

TORRE-BOUSCOULET, Luis; PEREZ-PADILLA, Rogelio  and  GRUPO DE TRABAJO DEL ESTUDIO PLATINO EN MEXICO. Adjustment of several spirometric reference equations to a population-based sample in Mexico. Salud pública Méx [online]. 2006, vol.48, n.6, pp. 466-473. ISSN 0036-3634.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0036-36342006000600004.

OBJETIVE: To compare several forced spirometry reference equations used in Mexico in order to know which of them have a better fit to a population-based sample. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Spirometric values of 225 healthy subjects 40 years of age or older from Metropolitan area of Mexico City, were compared to several reference equations. The sample is population-based and it was done from June to December 2003. The difference between observed and expected values was calculated. A concordance analysis between both observed and expected values was done and the percentage of subjects under normality lower limit was obtained. RESULTS: The equations with better fit for FEV1 and FVC were: NHANES III for Mexican-Americans and Euro-Americans; and from PLATINO. Predicted values according to Knudson were lower, and those from Cruz-Mérida, larger than observed values. Percentage of subjects below lower limit of normal was closest to 5% in the reference values from PLATINO. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend the use of reference values from the study NHANES III (for Mexican-Americans or European-Americans) and PLATINO.

Keywords : spirometry; references values; PLATINO study; Mexico.