A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS AND BODY MASS INDEX IN YOUNG ADULTS

Abstract

Background: Overweight and obesity nowadays have become a global concern in developed and developing countries. Obesity is a disorder involving excessive body fat that increases the risk of metabolic syndrome. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to observed the effect of increase in body mass index on dynamic pulmonary function parameters parameters like FVC, FEV1 and PEFR in the young adult male population of Ahmedabad. Material & Methods: The study was undertaken to assess few pulmonary function test parameters in normal weight and overweight young adult males of Ahmedabad. The study and the control groups were comprised of 30 subjects each matched for age, sex and socioeconomic status, randomly selected from the population of Ahmedabad. Device used was spiroexcel digital spirometer by Medicaid system at Physiology Department of B.J. Medical College Ahemedabad. FVC, FEV1 and PEFR were used as measures of lung functions. Result and Conclusion: There were signicant differences in FVC, FEV1 and PEFR in the study group (p<0.05). There was inverse relationship between pulmonary function parameters and an increase in BMI. These data demonstrate that pulmonary function test parameters of overweight young adults were signicantly reduced when compared to the normal weight counterparts. An increase in BMI had a signicant effect on spirometric measurements in young adult males of Ahmedabad.