Spirometry Patterns, Respiratory Symptoms, and Respiratory Diseases among Patients in a Respiratory Center in Southeast Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Spirometry provides useful information on lung diseases. The spirometry patterns of patients with lung disease and respiratory symptoms have not been completely identified. This study sought to determine the spirometry patterns of patients presenting with respiratory symptoms and the relationship between the spirometry patterns and the respiratory symptoms.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving 285 patients at a specialist respiratory laboratory in Enugu, Nigeria. Sociodemographic data, risk factors and respiratory symptoms were collected and spirometry conducted. Spirometry patterns were determined and the relationship between spirometry patterns and respiratory symptoms were determined using ANOVA and Chi-square. p<0.05 was taken as statistically significant.

Results: Two hundred and eighty-five subjects were studied. Their mean age was 48.4 ±21.7 years. Male patients were 117 and females 168. The most frequent symptom was cough (58.6%) followed by chest tightness (46.3%), central chest pain (46.0%), and difficulty breathing during physical activity (41.4%). Nine (3.2%) had asthma, whereas chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was found in 14(4.9%), asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) 16(5.6%), normal pattern 144(50.53%), and preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) 63(22.11%). There was statistically significant difference (F = 3.002, p = 0.031) in the mean Forced Expiratory Time (FET) values between the groups. Abnormal ventilatory function, predominantly the obstructive pattern, was significant in patients with cough and sputum production (p=0.001), noisy breathing (p<0.001), and difficulty in breathing out (p=0.012). COPD was poorly diagnosed without spirometry, 2 (14.29%).

Conclusion: Obstructive spirometry pattern were common in patients with respiratory symptoms in this study.