Correlation between clinical classification, PEF and FEV1: guidelines and reality.

Abstract

The currently proposed guidelines and consensus for asthma include Peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) as two criteria to classify asthma severity. The report between these functional data and clinical classification degrees has been evaluated in 153 asthmatic patients. Concordance between functional evaluation and clinical degree has been found only for moderate persistent asthma but not for intermittent or mild persistent asthma. These results suggest that the correlation between clinical evaluation and lung function proposed in the guidelines must be reevaluated.