Pulmonary Function Tests in European Birth Cohorts

Pulmonary function tests are commonly used within research to characterize disease patterns of obstructive airway diseases, and to describe lung growth and development. 20 out of 52 European birth cohorts within the ENRIECOand GA2LEN-networks reported a total of 80 investigation time-points using pulmonary function assessments. Information on published results and guidelines used were complemented through publicly available data and peer reviewed journals. Only 4 cohorts used the same test for at least 3 time-points during their follow-up. The tests were used to classify airway obstruction, bronchodilator response and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Related methods assessed airway inflammation non-invasively. International guidelines, used in clinical practice, (American Thoracic Society/ European Respiratory Society) should be considered and referred to whenever possible to improve comparability. A consensus on when and how pulmonary function tests are beneficial in population based research, assessing lung growth or asthma subtypes, is needed.