DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2022.v10i08.007

Pages: 777-779

The guidelines for asthma and spirometry do not mention the forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF 25%-75%) in evaluation of airflow obstruction in asthma. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of the FEF 25%-75% of children and adolescents with asthma sensitized to house dust mites (HDM). A retrospective case series was done in the Hospital Municipal Jesus, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 34 participants with asthma sensitized (n=26) and non-sensitized (n=8) to HDM. Standard reference value for FEF 25%-75% was considered abnormal if below at 65% of predicted. The percentages of 62% of sensitized participants and 38% of not sensitized to HDM had asthma with small airway obstruction by FEF 25-75% index and normal reference values for large airway flow in the spirometry report according to FEV 1/FVC ratio. The means of FEF 25%-75% for HDM and non-HDM were 44.27±9.96 vs. 56.62±13.56, respectively (t=1.86, P=0.0719). The results calculated were a positive predictive value of 80%, a sensitivity of 65%, and an accuracy of 62% amongst other significant parameters (P<0.05). We concluded that the FEF 25%-75% had a high diagnostic performance in children and adolescents with asthma sensitized to HDM.