Role of FEF 25-75 / FVC ratio in the diagnosis of chroni̇c obstructi̇ve pulmonary disease

Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a non-infectious, inflammatory, progressive lung disease of the airways. Below the FEV1 / FVC under 70% is diagnostic for the disase. The FEV1 / FVC ratio may give false positive results in the early stages of the disease and elderly patients, so new diagnostic methods are needed. In our study, whether the FEF25 - 75 / FVC ratio is superior to the utility value and FEV1 / FVC ratio as a new method in the diagnosis of COPD was investigated. Materials and Methods: In our study, 100 COPD patients and 30 volunteers between 30 and 80 years old who applied to HMKU Chest Diseases outpatient clinic were included. FEV1, FVC, FEF25-75, FEV1 / FVC, FEF25-75 / FVC values examinated with spirometry and sociodemographic datas investigated. Results: We find moderatelly positive correlation between FVC and FEF25-75 (r 0.878, p < 0.001) and very strong positive correlation between FEV1 / FVC and FEF 25-75 (r 0.820) and FEF 25-75/FVC (r 0.896 p < 0.001). Conclusion: In our study, the FEF25–75 / FVC ratio did not provide a superiority over the FEV1 / FVC ratio in the diagnosis of the disease. The FEF25–75 / FVC ratio was statistically significantly lower in the patient group and seems to be useful in the diagnosis of COPD. Keywords: COPD, Spirometry, FEV 1, FVC, FEF 25 – 75