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1. Definition of FEV1

   • Masashi Izumiya, M.D.

   National Cancer Center (Tokyo)

   This comment is about 'Summaries for Patients' section, and is not about the article itself.

   In the 'Summaries for Patients' section for the article entitled 'Screening for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations' (page I-46), following parts appear to be incorrect:

   Spirometry is a breathing test that can diagnose COPD on the basis of a measurement called FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second), which is the amount of air that a person exhales in 1 second compared with that of a healthy person of the same age and size. A person with an FEV1 of 60% exhales about 60% the amount that a typical, healthy person the same age and size exhales in 1 second.

   1. FEV1 is the forced expiratory volume in 1 second measured by the unit liter, and is not the ratio of FEV1/predicted FEV1 as described by the author of the 'Summaries for Patients'.

   2. As FEV1 is measured by the unit 'liter', the sentense 'FEV of 60%' makes no sense.

   I am very sorry if my comments are due to my misunderstandings.

   Conflict of Interest:

   None declared

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   Published April 9, 2008