Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
1995-3-3
pubmed:abstractText
The role of peak expiratory flow (PEF) monitoring in the diagnosis of occupational asthma has recently been assessed by several studies, which agree that this procedure should always be used to confirm the relationship between symptoms and occupational exposure. Some specific issues should be satisfied: a minimum number of four PEF measurements in a day; several weeks of monitoring in and out of work; and the presence of specific patterns of PEF changes. The sensitivity and specificity of PEF monitoring to detect occupational asthma, in comparison with the specific challenge test in the laboratory (the "gold standard") have been shown to be fairly high, although many authors believe that PEF monitoring cannot substitute for the specific challenge test. Limitations include: the low sensitivity of PEF to detect mild changes in airway calibre with respect to forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1); the blunting effect of pharmacological treatment; the episodic and irregular exposure to the sensitizer in the workplace; and the compliance and honesty of the subject. Further studies are required to select the best indices of daily and day-to-day variability to be used in the evaluation of PEF changes between work and out-of-work periods.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Dec
pubmed:issn
1122-0643
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
49
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
N
pubmed:pagination
425-31
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-6-2
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1994
pubmed:articleTitle
Peak expiratory flow monitoring in diagnosis and management of occupational asthma.
pubmed:affiliation
2nd Institute of Internal Medicine, Respiratory Pathophysiology, Pisa, Italy.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review