The Relationship between Decreased Lung Vital Capacity in Children with Respiratory Asthma Associated with Aspergillusand Candidain North of Iran

Environmental factors play an important role in the development and progression of respiratory diseases. In this regard, the species Aspergillusand Candidafungi are very important environmental factors, which play a prominent role in the development, persistence, and severity of respiratory diseases, especially asthma. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between susceptibility to fungi and lung function in children referred to Deziani Allergy Clinic patients in 2010-2011.

Children with age less than 12 years (n=40) were volunteered to participate in this case-control research. Two groups of patients susceptible to fungal (20/40) and not susceptible to fungal allergens (20/40) were selected. The groups were age and sex-matched. Demographic data and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1) and Tiffeneau-Pinelli index was obtained from patient records. Statistical analysis performed by SPSS 16.0 program.

Examination of the lung function variables showed that the mean of FVC in the control group (76.075 liters/s) was higher than the patient group (71.5 liters/s). FEV1 was also higher in the control group than in the patient group (p<0.05). The Tiffeneau-Pinelli index was also higher in the control group than in the patient group (p<0.05).

Allergy to fungi, such as Candidaand Aspergillus, decreases lung function in children with asthma, which is directly related to reduce vital capacity in these patients.