The Small Airway Function After Bronchodilation Test In COPD Patients

ObjectiveChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable dis-ease. It is characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible, the airflow lim-itation is usually progressive, which imposes a significant economic and social burden in terms of disability and impaired quality of life, our study is to compare spirometric parameters between the small airway and large airway before and after bronchodilation test in COPD patients, to identify the difference and correlation between the small air-way and large airway post-bronchodilator.MethodsIn this study, a total of 94 patients clinically diagnosed as COPD in stable phase were selected as study objects. The severity of COPD was graded according to the GOLD criteria.Every object received bronchodilation test with salbutamol aerosol. We recorded the values of FEV1, MEF25%, and MEF50%before and after bronchodilation test respectively, and then we compared the parameters change between the small airway and large airway. Data were analysed using SPSS 16.0.Results1.As for COPD patients,both the small airway and the large airway spirometric parameters were obviously improved after the bronchodilation test. (P< 0.001).2.The improvement rate of MEF25%and MEF50%after the bronchodilation test was more obvious than that of FEV1 in COPD patients.(P<0.001)3.There was no statistically significant difference in improvement value of FEV1, MEF25%and MEF50%after bronchodilation test among the COPD patients in different severity degrees(P> 0.05). Also the differences about the improvement rate in MEF25%and MEF50%among patients with different severity degrees were not statistically significant (P> 0.05).4.For COPD patients, the MEF25%improvement rate was positively correlated to the FEV1 after the bronchodilation test (r=0.685, P=0.000), so was MEF50%.(r=0.667, P=0.000)ConclusionAs for COPD patients, both the small airway and the large airway are obviously improved post-bronchodilator, especially in small airway. There is no statistically significant difference in improvement degree of both large and small airway among the COPD patients in different severe degrees. We also conclude that the dilation degree of small airway is positively correlated to that of the large airway.