Lung function in Greenlandic and Danish children and adolescents - 19/08/11
, Bo V. Pedersen a, Simon Francis Thomsen b, Anders Koch a, Jan Wohlfahrt a, Vibeke Backer b, Mads Melbye aSummary |
Respiratory morbidity in Inuit children is high. However, little is know regarding lung function measures in this population.
The forced expiratory volumes in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in 888 Greenlandic Inuits (
) and Danes (
) aged 6–18 years were compared. Furthermore, associations between level of lung function and atopy and lifestyle factors were estimated in Greenlanders.
The effect of height on FEV1 and FVC was significantly different in Greenlanders and Danes, this difference in lung function increased with increasing height, and could not be explained by differences in age weight and BMI. Thus, Greenlanders taller than 130cm had up to 300–400ml higher FEV1 and FVC compared with Danes of the same height. Among Greenlanders, those living in settlements had the highest levels of both FEV1 and FVC.
Greenlanders had elevated levels of FEV1 and FVC compared with Danes. The Inuit having a shorter limb length in relation to trunk height may account for these differences. However, our finding that Greenlanders living in settlements had the highest lung function level also suggests a possible role of factors in the traditional Greenlandic lifestyle.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Keywords : Denmark, Greenland, Inuit, Lung function, Spirometry, Children
Plan
Vol 99 - N° 3
P. 363-371 - mars 2005 Retour au numéro
Article précédent
- Asthma outpatient education by multiple implementation strategy. Outcome of a programme using a personal notebook
- J.-M. Tschopp, J.-G. Frey, J.-P. Janssens, C. Burrus, S. Garrone, R. Pernet, K. Imhof, F. Besse, S. Marty, C. Rosset, J.-P. Assal
- Comparison of the effects of nebulised and inhaled salbutamol on breathlessness in severe COPD
- P.J. Poole, R. Saini, S.M. Brodie, P.N. Black
Bienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
L’accès au texte intégral de cet article nécessite un abonnement.
Déjà abonné à cette revue ?