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Published on: May 15, 2013
Small airways dysfunction: associated factors, clinical aspects and new perspectives
Brice Touilloux1,2, Antonio Cartellà3, Christophe von Garnier2
1Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine and Specialties, Fribourg Hospital and University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland brice.touilloux@h-fr.ch.
Abstract:
Scientific interest in small airways emerged in the 1960s. However, despite this early recognition, they long remained a "silent" area of the lung. In this nonsystematic narrative mini-review, we evaluated the different spirometry thresholds used to define small airways dysfunction (SAD), comparing them with other diagnostic techniques. We then examined the various factors associated with SAD, focusing on SAD as defined by spirometry.Maximal mid-expiratory flow, especially below the lower limit of normal (LLN), appears to be the most accurate and reproducible spirometric measure to assess SAD. However, no gold-standard spirometric definition has been endorsed by respiratory academic societies, and forced expiratory volume in 3 s or 6 s
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