Prediction values for the ventilatory capacity in male West Pakistani workers in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The ventilatory functions (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, and peak expiratory flow rate) of West Pakistani immigrants working near Manchester were measured. There were 198 `normal' healthy adult workers aged 25 to 60 years and 129 workers aged 16 to 24 years. The subjects were considered `normal' if they did not admit to persistent cough and phlegm. The regression equations on age and height for the two groups are presented together with the corresponding nomograms for the adult group.

Ventilatory function reached its maximum between the ages of 25 and 30 years; smokers and dust-exposed subjects did not differ significantly from non-smokers and non-dust-exposed subjects (P>0·1). This was probably due to their relatively light smoking habits and the short duration of dust exposure. The effects of age, in workers over the age of 25 years, and the predominant effects of height on the FVC, FEV_1·0, and PEFR are similar to those found in other studies.

The ventilatory capacity of the subjects was found to be somewhat lower than that of Caucasians, about equal to that of Negroes living in America, and higher than that of Indians of Asian origin living in Guyana or of Bantu Negroes in South Africa.

The predicted FEV_1·0/FVC% in the West Pakistani subjects is a little higher than any calculated from the results of other authors, but its regression on age is consistent with the findings of other studies and, therefore, can be used in clinical practice to assess the pulmonary conductance.