Spirometry Reference Equations for Asian Migrant Workers in Korea: A Proposal

Abstract

This study proposes a spirometry reference equation suitable for Asian migrant workers undergoing special health examinations. The study participants were divided according to their region: Central Asia, Northeast Asia, and South Asia Pacific. We confirmed results of the spirometry analysis of migrant workers and the interpretation consistency between the prediction equations. Based on this data, we propose a reference equation suitable for domestic migrant workers and suggest a scaling factor applicable to the spirometer wherein the reference equation is not easily applicable. The kappa-values obtained for men and women, respectively, between the global lung function initiative 2012 (GLI2012)-Southeast Asian and the Southeast Asian equations were 0.819 and 0.770, between the GLI2012-Southeast Asian and the South Asian equations were 0.881 and 0.866, and between the GLI2012-Northeast Asian and the Central Asian equations were 0.831 and 0.833. We propose applying the GLI2012-Northeast Asian equation for Northeast Asian and Central Asian countries, whereas the GLI2012-Southeast Asian equation was found to be more suitable for predicting Southeast Asian and South Asian populations. For spirometry, we recommend applying a scaling factor of 0.87 to the Dr. Choi equation, wherein the GLI2012-Southeast Asian equation is not applicable.

Keywords

• migrant workers
• reference value
• spirometry