Pulmonary Function Of Asymptomatic Smokers

Backgrounds: Cigarette smoking is a bad habit for life,and also a risk factor of many lung-heart diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and so on. Presently, there are so many smokers in our country,but they don,t realize the lung function impairment induced by smoking before their clinical symptoms occur.Objectives: To investigate the effects of cigarette smoking on lung function and to urge smokers to stop smoking early.Methods: 151 healthy adult, who want to get a physical check-up at the check-up center of The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, performed the pulmonary function testing by MedGraphics 1085D spirometer. Further, we analyse the effects of cigarette smoking on lung function by the results tested.Results: To the nonsmoking group, all pulmonary function indexes tested are lower in the smoking group. No significant difference was found between nonsmokers and smokers in two indexes-FVC(forced vital capacity) and FEV₁(forced expiratory volume in 1 second)(P>0.05), but there is significant difference between nonsmokers and smokers in these indexes such as lung capacity-VC(vital capacity), FEV₁/VC and some pulmonary ventilatory function indicants such as MVV(maximal voluntary ventilation), FEV₁/FVC(P<0.05), and the indexes of the small airway function(FEF_50%, FEF_75%, MMEF)had significantly dropped(P <0.01).Conclusion: Although smokers did not show clinical symptoms, their lung functions, especially small airway function, had been reduced, pulmonary function test is significative for asymptomatic smokers.