INTRODUCTION. Smoking habit of 54 asthmatics was followed for 15 years.
OBJECTIVE. To examine if there was any difference of lung function tests
between smoking and nonsmoking young asthmatics METHOD. Based on
questionnaires, clinical examinations, lung function tests and skin prick
tests, 54 adolescents with asthma were separated out of 1134 pupils of one
Belgrade high school. They were followed-up till the age of 30. RESULTS.
62.9% of subjects were females and 37.1% were males. Average age at the
beginning was 16.3 and 29.6 at the end of study. In 13.0% of subjects, the
asthma manifested in the first year of life, in 72.2% between 2-6 years of
age and in 14.8% of our subjects, the asthma developed after 7th year. The
symptoms of asthma in last 12 months were present in 54.8% of our subjects at
the age of 16, compared to 77.8% of asthmatics with asthma symptoms at the
age of 30. Percent of smokers increased cumulatively from 16.7% at the
beginning of study up to 57.5% upon its completion. Number of cigarettes
increased from 7.5% to 16.5% cig/day in a smoker from the adolescent period
until the end of study, with no difference in relation to sex. Average
duration of smoking experience was 11.5 years, no difference in relation to
gender. Values of VC, FVC, FEV1, PEF and MEF75 were always lower in
asthmatics-smokers, but with no statistical difference. Tiffeneau index,
MEF25 and MEF50 were statistically lower in the smoking group at the age of
30 compared to their values at the age of 21. CONCLUSION. Smoking does affect
lung function of asthmatics that started to smoke and Tiffeneu index, MEF25
and MEF50 were statistically lower as early as at the age of 30.
Clinical, radiological and functional outcomes in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia: a prospective observational study
