Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Professorial Block, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Respirology. 2011 Feb;16(2):190-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1843.2010.01850.x.
The Asia-Pacific region comprise of diverse ethnic populations and healthcare systems of highly variable developmental stages. We face challenges in lung function testing, many of which are different from the issues encountered in the west. In some places, access to proper lung function testing facilities is very limited due to resource constraints or geographic inconvenience. It is important to note the potential differences of normative values in Asia-Pacific populations, compared with established values derived from populations of Caucasian ethnicity, hence the need to choose from available prediction formulae the ones that most closely approximate the subjects being tested. The criteria for defining abnormality is a hot topic globally. In the Asia-Pacific region, the trade-off between simplicity and thus ease of application and the pitfall of under- or over-diagnosis based on fixed cut-off values has to be recognized. The promotion of wider availability and proper utilization of lung function testing will go a long way in the enhancement of respiratory health and disease management in the region.
亚太地区包含了多样化的种族人口和高度多样化发展阶段的医疗体系。我们在肺功能测试方面面临着挑战，其中许多挑战与西方遇到的问题不同。在一些地方，由于资源限制或地理位置不便，获得适当的肺功能测试设施的机会非常有限。值得注意的是，与从白种人群体中得出的既定值相比，亚太地区人群的正常值可能存在差异，因此需要从可用的预测公式中选择最接近被测对象的公式。定义异常的标准是一个全球性的热门话题。在亚太地区，必须认识到在简单易用与基于固定截断值的诊断不足或过度诊断之间的权衡取舍。促进更广泛地提供和正确利用肺功能测试将大大促进该地区的呼吸健康和疾病管理。
