[Spirometric studies in clinically healthy metallurgy workers. II. Reference values of basic respiratory indicators]

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Occupational Health
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Establishing normative data for lung function is crucial for occupational health assessments.
• Metallurgy workers may face specific occupational exposures impacting respiratory health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop predictive equations for key spirometric parameters in healthy male metallurgists.
• To provide reference values for vital capacity (VC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), residual volume (RV), expiratory reserve volume (ERV), functional residual capacity (FRC), RV%TLC, and FEV1%VC.

Main Methods:

• Multiple regression analysis was employed to establish relationships between lung function parameters and anthropometric variables (age, height, body weight).
• Predicted values were calculated for VC, FEV1, RV, ERV, FRC, RV%TLC, FEV1%VC, and TLC.
• Reference tables were generated for VC, FEV1, and RV%TLC across nine intervals of age, height, and body weight.

Main Results:

• Predictive equations were successfully established for multiple lung function parameters.
• Predicted values for VC, FEV1, and RV%TLC were tabulated for specific age, height, and weight ranges.
• The study provides a basis for assessing lung function deviations in this occupational group.

Conclusions:

• The developed regression equations and reference tables offer valuable tools for evaluating lung function in male metallurgists.
• These findings can aid in identifying potential respiratory abnormalities related to occupational factors.
• Further research could explore the impact of specific metallurgical exposures on these predicted lung function values.