Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of our study was to investigate the effect of different positions
on pulmonary function test (PFT) values such as forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced
expiratory volume in one second (FEV
1
) of asthmatic patients .[Subjects and
Methods] Thirty subjects with severe asthma aged between 20–39 years were enrolled after
they had signed a written consent. Subjects were selected using the inclusion criteria,
and PFT were randomly administered. Spirometer measurements (FVC, FEV
1
) were
taken in the supine, side lying on right, side lying on left, sitting and standing
positions. Each measurement was taken three times, and the average values were analyzed.
[Results] One- way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s Test (post hoc) for pair- wise
comparison indicated that there was a significant difference in the FEV
1
values
of the asthmatic patients however a significant difference was obtained between standing
and supine positions. There was also a significant difference in the FVC values between
the standing and supine lying position in the pair -wise comparison. [Conclusion] This
study showed standing is the best position for measuring FEV
1
and FVC of
asthmatic subjects. The more upright the position, the higher the FEV
1
and FVC
will be.