Study on to assess pulmonary function test changes in asthmatic child using spirometry and its diagnostic and prognostic value

Abstract

Background: Asthma is a disease that has become increasingly common over the last century making it now one of the commonest chronic disorders in the world. Spirometric lung function tests are playing a key role in the diagnosis and management of asthma in children. Considering the usefulness of spirometer in the diagnosis of asthma and scarcity of the literature regarding the role of spirometer in the diagnosis of Asthma especially in Indian context, the present study was undertaken to assess pulmonary function test changes in asthmatic child using spirometry and its diagnostic and prognostic value.Methods: The present study was conducted at Department of Paediatrics, Ashwini Rural Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Kumbhari during the study period of 2015 to 2016. Children presenting symptoms suggestive of asthma were included in the study.Results: In the present study, the commonest presentations included cough, breathing difficulty and recurrent wheeze in all the children (100%) followed by chest tightness (23%) and fever (11%). In the present study, the clinical and spirometry diagnosis of moderate asthma showed total positive correlation (100%). The positive correlation of mild persistent and intermittent asthma was limited to 97.30% and 91.18%. Severe persistent asthma positively correlated in 76.77%.Conclusions: It may be concluded that, the spirometry is not only helps to diagnose the asthma accurately, but also helps in assessing the severity which has the key role in the successful management.