Discordance in spirometric interpretations based on korean and non-korean reference equations

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Clinical Physiology
• Respiratory Health

Background:

• Spirometric reference values are population-specific, varying significantly across ethnic groups.
• Existing Korean spirometric regression models differ from those used for Caucasian populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the discordance in spirometry interpretations when using Korean versus non-Korean reference equations.
• To assess the impact of ethnic-specific equations on diagnosing respiratory conditions.

Main Methods:

• Spirometry was conducted on 825 Korean male workers.
• Interpretations used two Korean (Choi, Lee) and three Caucasian (NHANES III, Morris, Knudson) equations.
• Comparison focused on spirometric patterns and disease severity classifications.

Main Results:

• Korean equations (Choi, Lee) showed minimal differences (FEV1%: 2.0±1.3%, FVC%: 3.5±2.2%).
• Significant discordance observed with Caucasian equations: Morris (FEV1% difference from Choi: 32.9±8.5%) and Knudson (FVC% difference from Choi: 10.5±6.5%).

Conclusions:

• The two Korean spirometric equations demonstrated consistent interpretation characteristics.
• Spirometric interpretations based on Korean equations significantly differed from those derived from Morris's and Knudson's Caucasian equations.