Quinn T J, Donham K J, Merchant J A, Schwartz D A
Division of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA.
Chest. 1995 May;107(5):1303-8. doi: 10.1378/chest.107.5.1303.
To evaluate the usefulness of a portable peak flow meter in predicting airway dysfunction in symptomatic swine confinement workers, we conducted a study using an established cohort of swine workers in Iowa. Participants were randomly selected from a group of 207 swine confinement workers and a group of nonconfinement farmers who had been followed longitudinally. Swine confinement workers with work-related symptoms were identified, and two control groups (swine confinement workers and nonconfinement workers) without work-related symptoms were frequency matched by age, sex, and smoking status to the symptomatic swine confinement workers. Peak flow measures were obtained for 7 days using a mini-Wright peak flow meter and comparisons were made between the symptomatic swine confinement farmers (n = 24) and both groups of asymptomatic workers: swine confinement workers (n = 21) and neighborhood farmer controls (n = 25). Peak flow readings were recorded by subjects five times per day for 7 days, initially on awakening, then after chores, before lunch, before dinner, and before bedtime. The actual hour of day for each measurement of peak flow was similar between the three groups. Percent changes from initial AM peak flow did not significantly differ between subject groups. However, symptomatic swine confinement workers consistently exhibited significantly lower initial and subsequent mean peak flow values compared with asymptomatic swine confinement workers and neighborhood control farmers, controlling for age, height, gender, and smoking status. These differences occurred on most of the measures of peak flow throughout the work day. The persistence of these lower values throughout the work day is remarkably consistent during the study period and is suggestive of airway disease in the symptomatic swine confinement workers. Our findings suggest that peak flow meters are a useful indicator of potential airway injury and offer an additional portable, diagnostic tool in the assessment of symptomatic workers.
为评估便携式峰值流量计在预测有症状的养猪场工人气道功能障碍方面的实用性，我们在爱荷华州对一组既定的养猪场工人进行了一项研究。参与者从207名养猪场工人和一组纵向跟踪的非养猪场农民中随机选取。识别出有工作相关症状的养猪场工人，并根据年龄、性别和吸烟状况将两组无工作相关症状的对照组（养猪场工人和非养猪场工人）与有症状的养猪场工人进行频率匹配。使用小型赖特峰值流量计进行7天的峰值流量测量，并对有症状的养猪场农民（n = 24）与两组无症状工人进行比较：养猪场工人（n = 21）和社区农民对照组（n = 25）。受试者每天记录5次峰值流量读数，持续7天，最初在醒来时，然后在 chores后、午餐前、晚餐前和就寝前。三组之间每次测量峰值流量的实际时间相似。各受试者组从初始上午峰值流量的百分比变化无显著差异。然而，在控制年龄、身高、性别和吸烟状况后，有症状的养猪场工人与无症状的养猪场工人和社区对照农民相比，始终表现出显著更低的初始和随后平均峰值流量值。这些差异在整个工作日的大多数峰值流量测量中都出现。在研究期间，这些较低值在整个工作日的持续存在非常一致，提示有症状的养猪场工人存在气道疾病。我们的研究结果表明，峰值流量计是潜在气道损伤的有用指标，并为评估有症状的工人提供了一种额外的便携式诊断工具。
