Chest ACCP Career Connection
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Guest Access | Sign In via User Name/Password
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Article Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Liss, G.
Right arrow Articles by Tarlo, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Liss, G.
Right arrow Articles by Tarlo, S.

Chest, Vol 100, 63-69, Copyright © 1991 by American College of Chest Physicians

ARTICLES

Peak expiratory flow rates in possible occupational asthma

GM Liss and SM Tarlo
Health Studies Service, Ontario Ministry of Labour, Toronto, Canada.

Objective criteria for interpretation of peak expiratory flow rate readings were assessed in 50 patients evaluated for suspected occupational asthma who had at least two weeks of PEFR readings and an objective diagnosis based on other investigations. The prevalence of OA was 36 percent. Peak flows were interpreted by two observers blinded to other results. Criteria for a PEFR interpretation of OA were as follow: diurnal variation greater than or equal to 20 percent relatively more frequently or with greater variation on working days than days off work. With the objective diagnoses as the gold standard, the sensitivity of the PEFR interpretations was 72 percent for OA; specificity for no asthma was 53 percent. Excluding those with greater than or equal to 20 percent variation on only one day sensitivity improved to 93 percent for OA, and specificity to 77 percent. There was an acceptable level of interobserver variation (kappa 62 to 83 percent). We conclude that simple objective criteria for PEFR interpretation can be developed with acceptable interobserver variation.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 ChestHome page
S. Chiry, A. Cartier, J.-L. Malo, S. M. Tarlo, and C. Lemiere
Comparison of Peak Expiratory Flow Variability Between Workers With Work-Exacerbated Asthma and Occupational Asthma
Chest, August 1, 2007; 132(2): 483 - 488.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Occup. Environ. Med.Home page
P J Nicholson, P Cullinan, A J Newman Taylor, P S Burge, and C Boyle
Evidence based guidelines for the prevention, identification, and management of occupational asthma
Occup. Environ. Med., May 1, 2005; 62(5): 290 - 299.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 CMAJHome page
S. M. Tarlo and G. Liss
An Oasys for occupational asthma
Can. Med. Assoc. J., August 5, 2003; 169(3): 189 - 190.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ChestHome page
H. G. Ortega, D. N. Weissman, D. L. Carter, and D. Banks
Use of Specific Inhalation Challenge in the Evaluation of Workers at Risk for Occupational Asthma* : A Survey of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Occupational Medicine Residency Training Programs in the United States and Canada
Chest, April 1, 2002; 121(4): 1323 - 1328.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1991 by the American College of Chest Physicians.