Predictive value of spirometry in screening of children with respiratory disease

Abstract

Background: Diagnostic value of spirometry in evaluation of pulmonary function is known; however, predictive potential of this method has always been undervalued. In the present systematic review, we aimed to collect all available data to show whether spirometry can be used in screening programs to predict future pulmonary disease. Materials and Methods: A database search was performed in Ovid, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar using “spirometry” and “predictive value” as the main search terms.Results: After excluding irrelevant documents, 19 related articles were selected and data extraction was performed. The results of included literatures showed that spirometry is a safe and reliable method for evaluation of pulmonary function. Also, it was reported that spirometry can provide useful information, which can be complementary to other method of evaluation.Conclusion: Findings showed that spirometry is a valid and non-invassive method of assessment for diagnosis of respiratory diseases such as asthma, and airway obstruction. Also, spirometric parameters may be helpful to predict future pulmonary condition at least in children.