Prevalence of COPD in Spain: impact of undiagnosed COPD on quality of life and daily life activities.

AIMS: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Spain and identify the level of undiagnosed disease and its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL) and activities of daily living (ADL). METHODS: A population-based sample of 4274 adults aged 40-80 years was surveyed. They were invited to answer a questionnaire and undergo prebrochodilator and postbronchodilator spirometry. COPD was defined as a postbronchodilator FEV(1)/FVC (forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity) ratio of <0.70. RESULTS: For 3802 participants with good-quality postbronchodilator spirometry, the overall prevalence of COPD was 10.2% (95% CI 9.2% to 11.1%) and was higher in men (15.1%) than in women (5.6%). The prevalence of COPD stage II or higher was 4.4% (95%CI; 3.8%-5.1%). The prevalence of COPD increased with age and with cigarette smoking and was higher in those with a low educational level. A previous diagnosis of COPD was reported by only 27% of those with COPD. Diagnosed patients had more severe disease, higher cumulative tobacco consumption and more severely impaired HRQL compared with undiagnosed subjects. However, even patients with undiagnosed COPD stage I+ already showed impairment in HRQL and in some aspects of ADL compared with participants without COPD. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of COPD in individuals between 40 and 80 years of age in Spain is 10.2% and increases with age, tobacco consumption and lower educational levels. The rate of diagnosised COPD is very high and undiagnosed individuals with COPD already have a significant impairment in HRQL and ADL.

[The EPI-SCAN survey to assess the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Spanish 40-to-80-year-olds: protocol summary]. / Estudio EPI-SCAN: resumen del protocolo de un estudio para estimar la prevalencia de EPOC en personas de 40 a 80 años en España.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes considerable morbidity and mortality in Spain. The 1997 IBERPOC study, applying the old criteria of the European Respiratory Society, reported a COPD prevalence of 9.1% in the adult population of Spain. The Epidemiologic Study of COPD in Spain (EPI-SCAN) aims to determine the current prevalence of COPD in residents of Spain aged 40-80 years and to estimate changes over the past 10 years. Secondary objectives are, among others, to describe the current prevalence of smoking and changes in COPD prevalence relative to previous studies; to describe treatments received by patients, quality of life, and the BODE index (body mass index, obstruction of airflow, dyspnea, and exercise tolerance); and to measure inflammatory markers in blood and exhaled-breath condensate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: EPI-SCAN is a population-based, cross-sectional epidemiologic study targeting the general population of Spain aged between 40 and 80 years. Participating centers were located in Barcelona, Burgos, Cordoba, Huesca, Madrid, Oviedo, Seville, Valencia, Vic, and Vigo. All subjects filled in an extensive questionnaire to collect social, demographic, and clinical information. Slow and forced spirometry tests before and after a bronchodilator test were also undertaken. Additionally, selected subjects performed a 6-minute walk test and answered generic and specific quality-of-life questionnaires, as well as an activities-of-daily-living questionnaire. Exhaled-breath condensate and blood samples were also collected from these subjects for measurement of inflammatory and other biomarkers.

Estudio EPI-SCAN: resumen del protocolo de un estudio para estimar la prevalencia de EPOC en personas de 40 a 80 años en España / The EPI-SCAN Survey to Assess the Prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Spanish 40-to-80-Year-Olds: Protocol Summary

Introducción y objetivos la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) es un trastorno que causa gran morbilidad y mortalidad en España. El estudio IBERPOC, realizado en 1997, identificó una prevalencia de EPOC en España, según el criterio antiguo de la European Respiratory Society, del 9,1% de la población adulta. El estudio EPI-SCAN (del inglés The Epidemiologic Study of COPD in Spain) pretende conocer la prevalencia de la EPOC en población de 40 a 80 años de edad residente en España en la actualidad suprimir. Otros objetivos secundarios que se plantean son describir la prevalencia de tabaquismo, la evolución de la prevalencia de EPOC respecto a estudios previos, el tratamiento recibido por los pacientes, la calidad de vida y el índice BODE (índice de masa corporal, obstrucción al flujo aéreo, disnea y capacidad de ejercicio), y determinar marcadores inflamatorios en sangre y en condensado exhalado.Pacientes y métodoEPI-SCAN es un estudio epidemiológico de base poblacional, transversal, de ámbito nacional, llevado a cabo en población general de 40 a 80 años residente en España. Las áreas participantes fueron: Barcelona, Burgos, Córdoba, Huesca, Madrid, Oviedo, Sevilla, Valencia, Vic y Vigo. Todos los participantes rellenaron un cuestionario sociodemográfico y clínico extenso, y realizaron una espirometría lenta y forzada antes y después de una prueba broncodilatadora. Además, algunos participantes seleccionados efectuaron las siguientes pruebas: prueba de la marcha de 6min, medición de la calidad de vida mediante cuestionarios específico y genérico, y de actividades de la vida diaria, recogida del condensado de aire exhalado y obtención de una muestra de sangre para medición de biomarcadores y diferentes parámetros inflamatorios(AU)

Background and Objectives Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes considerable morbidity and mortality in Spain. The 1997 IBERPOC study, applying the old criteria of the European Respiratory Society, reported a COPD prevalence of 9.1% in the adult population of Spain. The Epidemiologic Study of COPD in Spain (EPI-SCAN) aims to determine the current prevalence of COPD in residents of Spain aged 40–80 years and to estimate changes over the past 10 years. Secondary objectives are, among others, to describe the current prevalence of smoking and changes in COPD prevalence relative to previous studies; to describe treatments received by patients, quality of life, and the BODE index (body mass index, obstruction of airflow, dyspnea, and exercise tolerance); and to measure inflammatory markers in blood and exhaled-breath condensate.Patients and MethodsEPI-SCAN is a population-based, cross-sectional epidemiologic study targeting the general population of Spain aged between 40 and 80 years. Participating centers were located in Barcelona, Burgos, Cordoba, Huesca, Madrid, Oviedo, Seville, Valencia, Vic, and Vigo. All subjects filled in an extensive questionnaire to collect social, demographic, and clinical information. Slow and forced spirometry tests before and after a bronchodilator test were also undertaken. Additionally, selected subjects performed a 6-minute walk test and answered generic and specific quality-of-life questionnaires, as well as an activities-of-daily-living questionnaire. Exhaled-breath condensate and blood samples were also collected from these subjects for measurement of inflammatory and other biomarkers(AU)

¿Son eficaces las encuestas para dejar de fumar? / Are surveys to stop smoking effective?

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[Smoking habits among sixth-year medical students in Spain]. / Consumo de tabaco en estudiantes de sexto curso de medicina de España.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and analyze the smoking habits of sixth-year Spanish medical students. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The target population of this descriptive cross-sectional study was students completing their sixth year in Spanish medical schools. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was sent to the students' homes by ordinary mail. The relationships between the variables were analyzed using contingency tables, the chi2 test, the Student t test, and analysis of variance with a significance level of P< .05. The software package was SPSS. RESULTS: A total of 3840 questionnaires were distributed to students, and 1340 were returned completed (34.9%). Of the respondents, 27% were smokers (8.7% smoked only on weekends, and 18.3% were daily smokers). The mean (SD) number of cigarettes smoked per day was 10.54 (7.89). Consumption was significantly higher among men than among women. The mean age of initiation was 17.20 years. Of the students who were smokers, 32.54% stated that they had started smoking during their medical studies. The percentage of smokers who stated that they wanted to quit was 76.3%, and 56.6% said that they had already made at least one quit attempt. CONCLUSIONS: It is cause for concern that a large number of students start smoking after they enter medical school. One of the reasons for this is the lack of concern about smoking as a health problem within medical schools. The smoking habits of medical students are affected by the same phenomena that affect those of the general public, such as the increase in the number of women smokers, the influence of sociocultural factors, and the increasingly broader age range of initiation. The lower prevalence of smoking among medical students with respect to other populations is probably due to the fact that, in general, these students have better health habits than the general public, and/or the reasons that led them to study medicine also make them disinclined to smoke.

Consumo de tabaco en estudiantes de sexto curso de medicina de España / Smoking habits among sixth-year medical students in Spain

OBJETIVO: Realizar un análisis descriptivo en los estudiantes de sexto curso de medicina españoles respecto al consumo de tabaco. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio descriptivo transversal cuya población objetivo son los estudiantes de sexto curso de las facultades de medicina de España. Se utilizó un cuestionario de autocontestación, anónimo, que se envió a los domicilios personales de los alumnos por correo ordinario. Para el análisis de las variables y sus relaciones se utilizaron tablas de contingencias, la prueba de la 2, la prueba de la t de Student y el análisis de la varianza con un valor de p < 0,05 y el paquete estadístico SPSS. RESULTADOS: Se consultó a 3.840 alumnos y se recibieron 1.340 cuestionarios (34,9 por ciento). El 27 por ciento de los alumnos son fumadores (el 8,7 por ciento fuma los fines de semana y el 18,3 por ciento a diario). El consumo medio de cigarrillos es de 10,54 ñ 7,89 cigarrillos/día, aunque es significativamente más alto en los estudiantes varones que en las mujeres. La edad media de inicio en el consumo de tabaco fue de 17,20 años. El 32,54 por ciento de los alumnos que fuma en la actualidad ha iniciado su consumo durante la licenciatura de medicina. El 76,3 por ciento de los estudiantes fumadores quiere dejar de serlo y el 56,6 por ciento refiere haberlo intentado alguna vez. CONCLUSIONES: Resulta preocupante el elevado número de alumnos que comienzan a fumar en las facultades de medicina, entre otras causas, por la falta de sensibilidad de estos centros frente a este problema de salud. Los fenómenos que ocurren en la población general respecto al tabaquismo aparecen también en los estudiantes de medicina, como la incorporación de la mujer al consumo de tabaco, la influencia de factores socioculturales o la ampliación en la edad de inicio. Probablemente, la menor prevalencia de fumadores entre estos alumnos respecto a otras poblaciones se debe a que, en general, tienen mejores hábitos de salud que la población general y no fuman por la misma motivación por la que eligieron cursar la licenciatura de medicina (AU)

Costes de la EPOC en España. Estimación a partir de un estudio epidemiológico poblacional / Costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Spain. Estimation from a population-based study

OBJETIVO: En los estudios realizados hasta ahora, el coste de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) puede estar sobrestimado porque han incluido a pacientes previamente diagnosticados que consultaron por sus síntomas, por lo que la gravedad puede ser superior a la que realmente tendría una población no seleccionada obtenida de la población general. El propósito del presente estudio fue estimar el coste directo de la EPOC basándose en una muestra representativa del conjunto de la población española de entre 40 y 69 años (estudio IBERPOC). MÉTODO: El coste se evaluó retrospectivamente a través de un cuestionario referido al último año en los 363 pacientes con EPOC del estudio IBERPOC. Un neumólogo realizó a todos ellos una espirometría estandarizada en cada una de las 7 áreas geográficas en las que se llevó a cabo el estudio. RESULTADOS: La asistencia hospitalaria fue el coste más elevado (41 por ciento del coste total), seguido del tratamiento farmacológico (37 por ciento). El coste por paciente fue de 98,39 , y por paciente previamente diagnosticado, de 909,5 . El coste de la EPOC grave por persona fue más de tres veces el coste de la EPOC moderada y más de 7 veces el coste de la EPOC leve. El coste anual estimado de la EPOC en España fue de 238,82 millones de euros (información referida a 1997). CONCLUSIÓN: Éste es el primer estudio que estima el coste de la EPOC en una muestra representativa de la población general, que es inferior al calculado por los estudios que han analizado una muestra seleccionada con diagnóstico previo de EPOC. La distribución del gasto no se ajusta a las prácticas asistenciales recomendables, por lo que son necesarias actuaciones que optimicen los recursos empleados en el seguimiento y en el tratamiento de la enfermedad, prestando especial atención a su diagnóstico temprano (AU)

[Costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Spain. Estimation from a population-based study]. / Costes de la EPOC en España. Estimación a partir de un estudio epidemiológico poblacional.

OBJECTIVE: In the studies carried out to date, the cost of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may have been overestimated due to the inclusion of previously diagnosed patients seeking medical attention for their symptoms. As a result, the severity of the cases included in these studies may have been greater than in an unselected sample of the general population. The aim of the present study was to estimate the direct cost of COPD on the basis of a representative sample of the overall Spanish population between 40 and 69 years of age (from the IBERPOC study). METHOD: The cost was evaluated retrospectively by means of a questionnaire completed by the 363 patients with COPD from the IBERPOC study with questions referring to the previous year. Standardized spirometry was performed on all the patients by a pneumologist in each of the 7 geographical areas in which the study was carried out. RESULTS: Hospitalization accounted for the greatest expenditure (41% of total), followed by drug therapy (37%). The cost was euro;98.39 per patient, and euro;909.50 per previously diagnosed patient. The cost per person of severe COPD was more than 3 times that of moderate COPD and more than 7 times that of mild COPD. The estimated annual cost of COPD in Spain was euro;238.82 million (for 1997). CONCLUSION: The present study, which was the first to estimate the cost of COPD in a representative sample of the general population, found the cost to be lower than in studies analyzing samples of patients with previous diagnoses of COPD. The cost distribution is not in line with recommended health care practices, underlining the need to optimize resources used to monitor and treat the disease, with an emphasis on early diagnosis.

[Second consensus report on the use of antimicrobial agents in exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. / Segundo documento de consenso sobre uso de antimicrobianos en la exacerbación de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica.

Aware of the importance of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a panel of experts belonging to the Spanish Society of Respiratory Medicine and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), the Spanish Society of Chemotherapy (SEQ) and the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (SEMFyC) issued a statement of consensus in 2000 to serve as the basis for adequate antibiotic control of the disease. Three years later, in accordance with significant scientific progress made in this area, the statement has been thoroughly revised. The new paper in fact constitutes a second consensus statement on the use of antibiotics in COPD exacerbations. When several scientific associations expressed interest in joining the project and contributing to it the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), the Spanish Society of General Medicine (SEMG) and the Spanish Society of Rural and General Medicine (SEMERGEN) their incorporation led SEPAR and SEMFyC to change the structure of the statement and certain aspects of its content. Additionally, a new group of antibiotics, the ketolides, has joined the therapeutic arsenal. Telithromycin, the single representative of the group for the moment, can be considered not only an alternative treatment but even the drug of choice in certain clinical settings that are analyzed in the new statement. Those developments, along with others, such as the increasingly recognized action of levofloxacin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the steady action of amoxicillin with clavulanic acid when administered at recommended doses every 8 hours, provide new antimicrobial therapeutic protocols for COPD. Finally, the statement includes a scientific analysis of other groups of antimicrobial agents (macrolides, oral cephalosporins, etc.) and guidelines for both primary care physicians and specialists to follow when prescribing them.

Segundo documento de consenso sobreuso de antimicrobianos en la exacerbaciónde la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica / Second consensus report on the use of antimicrobial agents in exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

En el año 2000, expertos de la Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica (SEPAR), la Sociedad Española de Quimioterapia (SEQ) y la Sociedad Española de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria (SEMFyC), conscientes de la importancia de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC), elaboraron un documento-consenso que pudiera servir como base para el control de la enfermedad, mediante un adecuado uso de antimicrobianos. Ahora, 3 años después, y con motivo de importantes avances científicos, se plantea una profunda revisión, que en realidad constituye el Segundo Documento de Consenso sobre Uso de antimicrobianos en la exacerbación de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica. Por un lado, diferentes sociedades científicas han demostrado interés en adherirse al proyecto y trabajar en él: Sociedad Española de Medicina de Urgencias y Emergencias (SEMES), Sociedad Española de Medicina General (SEMG) y Sociedad Española de Medicina Rural y Generalista (SEMERGEN), lo cual, conjuntamente con la declinación de la SEMFyC, obliga a cambiar la estructura y algunos contenidos del documento. Por otra parte, en el momento presente se ha incorporado al arsenal terapéutico del médico un nuevo grupo de antimicrobianos (los cetólidos) con un único representante hasta ahora, la telitromicina, que permite considerarlo no sólo como terapia alternativa sino de elección, incluso en determinadas circunstancias clínicas que se analizan en el documento. Éstos son los dos aspectos más significativos que, sumados a otros, como la cada vez más aceptada actividad de levofloxacino sobre Pseudomonas aeruginosa y la constante actividad que demuestra amoxicilina-ácido clavulánico cuando se administra a las dosis recomendadas cada 8 horas, ofrecen nuevos patrones antibióticos para el tratamiento de esta enfermedad. Por último, se analizan científicamente otros grupos de antimicrobianos (macrólidos, cefalosporinas orales, etc.) y se ofrecen normas de empleo de estos agentes, tanto por parte de los especialistas como de los médicos de atención primaria (AU)

Effect of montelukast added to inhaled budesonide on control of mild to moderate asthma.

BACKGROUND: Proinflammatory leukotrienes, which are not completely inhibited by inhaled corticosteroids, may contribute to asthmatic problems [corrected]. A 16 week multicentre, randomised, double blind, controlled study was undertaken to study the efficacy of adding oral montelukast, a leukotriene receptor antagonist, to a constant dose of inhaled budesonide. METHODS: A total of 639 patients aged 18-70 years with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) > or =55% predicted and a minimum predefined level of asthma symptoms during a 2 week placebo run in period were randomised to receive montelukast 10 mg (n=326) or placebo (n=313) once daily for 16 weeks. All patients received a constant dose of budesonide (400-1600 microg/day) by Turbuhaler throughout the study. RESULTS: Mean FEV(1) at baseline was 81% predicted. The median percentage of asthma exacerbation days was 35% lower (3.1% v 4.8%; p=0.03) and the median percentage of asthma free days was 56% higher (66.1% v 42.3%; p=0.001) in the montelukast group than in the placebo group. Patients receiving concomitant treatment with montelukast had significantly (p<0.05) fewer nocturnal awakenings and significantly (p<0.05) greater improvements in beta agonist use and morning peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with mild airway obstruction and persistent asthma symptoms despite budesonide treatment, concomitant treatment with montelukast significantly improves asthma control.

Segundo documento de consenso sobre uso deantimicrobianos en la exacerbación de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica / Second consensus document on antimicrobial use in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations

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Requisitos para la acreditación de unidades docentes en la especialidad de neumología / Accreditation requirements for educational programs in respiratory medicine

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Segundo documento de consenso sobre uso de antimicrobianos en la exacerbación de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica / Second consensus statement on the use of antimicrobial drugs in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations

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[Respiratory symptoms and diagnosis of COPD in smokers of various types to tobacco. Results from the IBERPOC study]. / Síntomas respiratorios y diagnóstico de EPOC en fumadores de distintas labores de tabaco. Resultados del estudio IBERPOC.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the sociodemographic characteristics, smoking habits, the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in four groups of smokers: of cigarettes (SCt), of cigars (SCigar), of both (SB), of cigars currently but of cigarettes in the past (SCigarExCt) and of cigarettes currently but of cigars in the past (SCtExCigar). METHOD: A multicenter epidemiological study enrolling 4,035 subjects aged between 40 and 69 years. One thousand nine hundred sixty-three were non-smokers and 1,146 were current smokers. Among the smokers, 869 were SCt, 37 were SCigar, 97 were SB, 86 were SCigarExCt and 57 were SCtExCigar. We analyzed sociodemographic characteristics, smoking and the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and COPD. RESULTS: Cigar smokers were usually men, of lower socioeconomic status (p < 0.001) and older than cigarette smokers (p < 0.001), but CO concentrations in expired air were lower in the SCigar group than in the SCt group (5 ppm vs 15.7; p < 0.001). Informants who believed their smoking was not detrimental to their health or to that of second-hand smokers made up 86.5% of the SCigar group and 79.1% of the SCigarExCt group. COPD was diagnosed in 13.2% of the SCt group, in 24.7% of the SB group, and in 12.8% of the SCigarExCt group, in comparison with 4% of the non-smokers (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: SCigar are mainly older men with lower educational levels. Their concentrations of CO in expired air are low and they have little awareness of the health risks posed by their habit. SCigar who were once smokers of cigarettes have a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms and COPD than non-smokers and the same prevalence of COPD as SCt.

Síntomas respiratorios y diagnóstico de EPOC en fumadores de distintas labores de tabaco. Resultados del estudio IBERPOC / Respiratory symptoms and diagnosis of COPD in smokers of various types to tobacco. Results from the IBERPOC study

FUNDAMENTO: El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar las características sociodemográficas y de tabaquismo, así como la presencia de síntomas respiratorios y enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) en cuatro grupos de fumadores: de cigarrillos (FC), de cigarros (FP), de cigarrillos y cigarros (FCP), de cigarros que fueron fumadores de cigarrillos (FPEC) y de cigarrillos que fueron fumadores de cigarros (FCEP).MÉTODO: Estudio epidemiológico multicéntrico que incluyó a 4.035 individuos entre 40 y 69 años; 1.963 no fumadores, y 1.146 fumadores activos. Entre estos últimos, 869 eran FC, 37 FP, 97 FCP, 86 FPEC y 57 FCEP. Se analizaron sus características sociodemográficas y de tabaquismo, así como los síntomas respiratorios y la presencia de EPOC.RESULTADOS: Los FP fueron con mayor frecuencia varones, de clases sociales más deprimidas (p < 0,001) y de mayor edad que los FC (p < 0,001), pero sus concentraciones de CO en aire espirado fueron inferiores a las de los FC (5 ppm frente a 15,7; p < 0,001). El 86,5 per cent de los FP y el 79,1 per cent de los FPEC pensaban que consumir este tipo de tabaco no era perjudicial para su salud ni para la de los fumadores pasivos. La EPOC se diagnosticó en el 13,2 per cent de los FC, en el 24,7 per cent de los FCP y en el 12,8 per cent de los FPEC, frente al 4 per cent de los no fumadores (p < 0,001 en todas las comparaciones).CONCLUSIONES: Los FP son mayoritariamente varones de más edad que los FC y pertenecen a estratos educacionales deprimidos. Tienen concentraciones bajas de CO en su aire espirado y escaso conocimiento de los riesgos que este hábito supone para su salud. Los FPEC tienen más alta incidencia de síntomas respiratorios y de EPOC que los no fumadores e idéntica incidencia de EPOC que los FC (AU)

2002: un buen año capicúa para la EPOC / 2002: a good year for turning approach to COPD around

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[Spirometry: quality in the respiratory medicine clinics of a public health care area]. / Calidad de la espirometría en las consultas neumológicas de un área jerarquizada.

BACKGROUND: Spirometry can be considered a routine way to evaluate patients with respiratory complaints, both inside and outside the hospital setting. OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of spirometry in a public health care area with respect to two factors: the technicians' performance and the calibration of spirometers. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Four health care clinics were studied. Four technicians participated and the four spirometers were tested at different volumes (calibration syringes 1L and 3L) and different flows (explosive decompression). Eight patients with COPD participated in the study of inter-technician variability. RESULTS: Agreement among the technicians was very high: 0.98-0.99 for FEV1 and 0.91-0.98 for FVC. The mean results obtained by the technicians were: FEV1 = 2.15 0.03, range 2.20-2.14; FVC = 3.25 0.05, range 3.30-3.21 (ns). Volumetric readings from the spirometers were correct for the 1I calibration syringe, but 2 out of 4 spirometers lost linearity with the 3I calibration syringe. One spirometer gave readings out of range for all flow levels, and 2 out of 4 spirometers were out of range at low flows. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Results obtained by different technicians were not significantly different and there was high agreement among them, confirming that performance of spirometry was good. 2. The spirometers showed poor linearity at low flows.