Respirology : official journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology
-
Multicenter Study
Pulmonary function testing in New Zealand: the use and importance of reference ranges.
The diagnosis, assessment and management of a wide range of respiratory diseases rely on accurate interpretation of lung function tests through the use of reference equations to generate predicted values. This paper ascertains the suitability of reference equations currently used in New Zealand through comparison with newly derived equations from the Wellington Respiratory Survey, and discusses the relevance of the findings to the Asia Pacific region. ⋯ Many reference equations in current usage in New Zealand are no longer suitable for use. The applicability of reference equations used in other populations and countries within the Asia Pacific region requires further investigation. We recommend that up-to-date reference equations are derived and implemented if those currently used are shown to be unsatisfactory.