Arwa Rawashdeh

Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences (JJBS) 2024

Objectives: The forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC ratio alone is limited in its ability to expose COPD’s complexity. Given the heterogeneity of the affected population, the use of additional pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in the routine clinical evaluation of COPD patients may be beneficial.

Methods: A total of 598 male individuals aged 25-80+ years were recruited for this study. Spirometry testing was conducted using the SPIROVIT SP-1G2 device manufactured by SCHILLER Switzerland, in accordance with the American Thoracic Society criteria for spirometry. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) was used to evaluate the impact of exercise on respiratory function and dyspnea experienced by COPD patients.

Results: Participants in this study were defined as Non-smoker and  healthys if they reported never smoking and did not have asthma, bronchitis, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, or stroke. FEV1% predicted and FVC% predicted were calculated using the Norwegian equation developed by Langhammer and co-workers. Independent samples T-tests were employed to examine the statistical significance of group differences. The mean and the 5% percentile of FEV1/FVC% were compared with the expected mean and lower limit of normal (LLN) using an equation developed by Enright and co-workers. The statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 16.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Illinois, USA).

The study results indicated that there was a continuous increase in chances of any respiratory symptom as FEV1/FVC ratios increased and FEV1 in men ≤ 50, reaching a minimum of 0.85 and 0.90, respectively, in all participant characteristics. This would suggest a higher optimal threshold associated with respiratory symptoms than the commonly used threshold of 0.70. Conversely, the chances of any respiratory symptom continued to decreased with lower FEV1/FVC ratios and FEV1 in men >50 and reached a minimum of 0.66 and 0.75, respectively, in all participant characteristics, suggesting a lower optimal threshold associated with respiratory symptoms than the commonly used threshold of 0.70.

Conclusion: Incorporating additional PFTs beyond FEV1 and FEV1/FVC is crucial for a comprehensive evaluation of COPD patients and can lead to more personalized and targeted care.